Through Time
by XxFleurdelySxX
Summary: Unsummarizable... A saga revolving around Gambit and Rogue, and the evolution of a relationship as Sinister and ambushes keep stepping in the lovers' way...
1. A special gift

**Note from me**** : All of the characters in this chapter are property of Marvel, and Marvel only. Only Marvel makes profit by using them in their stories. I just get the benefit of the fun from using them. Don't sue me, I ain't got nothing worth it anyways.**

**This story is a mix of romance and action, though the action won't come until a few chapters. I promise I will do my best to keep the chapters coming, but I have to warn you guys that each of them will be traducted into French and published before another one in English comes out. I am French, after all, and I'm a little bit frustrated by the small number of French fanfictions. Why do I write in English instead of French? Hell if I know! Enjoy.**

Through Time

By Fleurdelys

Chapter one

A special gift

I took a bite of the toast I was holding, absentmindly chewing the peanut butter and jam mix. I looked out the bay window, thinking. What to do? I couldn't do it. These powers were just to much for me. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how much the professor wanted to help me, we both knew I probably would never touch anyone's skin. Certainly not Remy's. The toast seemed to have stuck in my throath and I swallowed hard, tears welling to my eyes. The Cajun had been patient for years, but he was a man with needs, as much as me a woman with my own. Minus the fact that I had to live with it ; Remy had the choice. For a reason I didn't know, he had chosen the one and only woman in the world that was untouchable: me.

I believe in you, he had said. I sighed. Even myself and the professor were beginning to think these powers were never to be shut off. "Well, he loves me today, we'll see if he loves me tomorrow…"

I heard the kitchen door open behind me and turned to greet the newcomer. I was surprised, it was only 6:00 AM and no Danger Room sessions were programmed. I was even more surprised to meet red-on-black eyes intent on me. I smiled.

"Hi, sugah, how are'ya?" He smiled too and slowly walk to me. He put an arm around my waist and gently kissed my shoulder, hidden beneath the large long sleeves shirt I was wearing.

"Wasn't feeling so good until I cam'here" Our eyes met. "I just can't be in a bad mood when I'm around'ye, chérie."

"Ahem" We both turned our head to see Hank standing in the kitchen doorframe. He smiled. "Sorry to interrupt…Rogue…There is something I would like to show you. You might find this…well…interesting is a very little word".

************

Sitting in Hank's study, I began to be quite stressed. What the hell did he had to show me? Suddently he entered the room and sat next to me. 

"Now Rogue, I know you have some…problems with your powers." He stopped, soft eyes on me. I swallowed, noded. "The professor asked me if there was a way, a scientific way, to help you".

I felt my eyes grow huge. My jaw dropped. "Hank! Is that possible? Ya could really do that?!? But that mus'take a long time! Why are ya saying this to me now?" My hopes were already dissipating. "It could take months, even years, before ya find somethin."

"The professor asked me that months ago, Rogue... The reason I'm talking to you now is that I have found a solution to your problems." I just went on staring at him. He streched his fluffy blue arm to take a small plastic bottle on his desk and handed it to me. I slowly took it between thumb and index, as if it was as fragile as my wildly thumping heart seemed to be at the moment. "Open it, Rogue". I just went on staring at the little pills in the bottle. I blinked, and slowly aligned the arrows. The lid went pop! and I let a little quarter of an inch big vivid purple and blue pill fall in my (quite very much) shaking hand. I lifted my head to look at Hank, vision blurred with tears.

"Hank…this…this can stop my powers?"

"Only for a certain laps of time. It lasted 8 hours on Ororo and Bobby, my very kind guinea pigs. You will just have to try them so we can determine the exact time they work before their effect wears off, but it should be quite the same for you." He took a glass of water sitting on his desk and gave it to me with an ear-wide smile. "Try it, Rogue"

I stared back at the pill. I carefully took the glass of water, took a deep breath, and felt my heart thumping like a marching band in my chest. "Oh well, here goes nothing" I thought. I put the pill in my mouth, took a large gulp of water, and swallowed.

I felt the pill move in my oesophagus and closed my eyes to feel what was happening in my body. The pill dissoluted and my heart grew warmer. I could sense my blood rushing to the thumping muscle to return to my members filled with what the pill contained. I was getting hot. My fingers were tikling and I felt ants wherever I could think. The strange feeling on blood rushing stopped as soon as it had began, and I oppened my eyes. Hank looked very much pleased with himself. "How do you feel, darling?"

"Ah…Ah feel weird. But Ah'm okay, Ah guess."

"Good." He extanded a big callused hand and cupped my cheek. I drew back by pure reflex, but he caught me behind the neck and touched my cheek again. I closed my eyes, but the feeling of absorption…never came. I bit my lip hard, and opened watering eyes to look at Hank.

"You can touch, Rogue."

***************

I entered the living room, heart beating loudly in my chest. There he was, in light jeans and dark green T-Shirt, dishelved auburn hair, sitting on the couch, a cup of coffee in his hand. Logan was sitting on his right and Scott and Jean standing behind the couch. All were watching the TV, I could hear the canned laughs of a morning show. He looked at me, red eyes sparkling, as I entered the room. He smiled at me and I smiled back, a little nervous.

"Hi Scott, Jean… Hello, Logan" I said. "Hello, Rémy" His grin largened.

"Bonjour, chérie. Care for a cup'o coffee? I've made more for you"

"No thanks, sugah. Huh… Remy, well… Ahem." I couldn't believe it. This was my dream, and probably his as well, and I just couldn't say it! "Oh damn…"

"Was'wrong, chérie?" His smiled faded a bit and he frowned a little.

"Nothing's wrong, honey" I smiled. "Ya just close thes' beautiful eyes of yours, and Ah'll give ya a surprise…"

The frown disapeared and the grin widened. "What's de surprise, chérie?"

"Ya can't cheat, swamprat! Ya close yah eyes!" I couldn't help but grinning like a child opening his Christmas gifts. He looked at me dubiously for a few seconds, then closed his eyes and tried to look serious, though I could see the corners of his mouth squirming up, ready to smile. "D'accord, chérie! I'm waiting, now!" I winked at the three others. They all smiled, but had question marks in their eyes.

"Don't cheat, swamprat" I was inches from his face. He wasn't surprised I was so close to him. He just smiled, as I remembered that his space awareness prevented anyone from trying to surprise him, but kept his eyes closed.

"Am I gonna get a gift, ma belle?" he said.

"If this is the way ya wanna put it, sugah". He opened his mouth to reply, but before he could do so, I put both my hands on his cheeks and pressed my lips on his. He started and I could feel he had a spilt second reflex to pull me away. But then he realized that nothing was happenning, at least not with my powers. He took my arms and stood up, looking me in the eyes. I had tought I had just surprised him, but his eyes were wet with tears. He wasn't surprised. He was bewildered. I smiled, a little shakingly. Then he got control on himself again, gently smiled at me and bent his head to kiss me. I closed my eyes, breathtaken, and smiled when I heard the whistles and whoops of our friends.

**To be continued!**


	2. Insomnia

**Note from myself**** : There's the second one! It's short, I know, I know… The French version is also coming up. The first chapter is published under the title _Intemporel. I don't really like the title, so maybe it's going to change. Anyways. I don't own any of the characters. Marvel does. Blah. Blah blah, blah… blah blah. Blah. No money made on this, only a lot of fun.  Don't worry, the action's coming, probably on the next chapter. Ok, so there is a little S.E.X. in this one, and could be in the following chapters. I AM nervous about this, so I cut short on the explicit. You get the idea. I also rated this PG-13 instead of PG only, and it could still go up. I have a wonderful story plot waiting on my desk. Thanks for the review(s?), I do hope you like this one._**

_Chapter two_

_Insomnia_

I sat on the bed, nervous. I had had a beautiful day. The pill had worn off by 4 o'clock this afternoon, but I had another one in my hand. I looked at the clock. 11:56 pm. I had been so nervous thinking of what would come between me and Remy that I haven't been able to say a word that made sense since dinner. At 10 o'clock, Remy had hugged me, said goodnight and, without asking anything, had left for his bedroom. He wouldn't rush me into anything, I knew, but a tear ran down my cheek. He had waited for this day. Had dreamed about it. And now that it was happening… he was leaving it to me. It would have been easier if he had just asked me to come to bed with him. But he hadn't. I put the pill back in the plastic bottle, turned off the light and laid down in the bed. Surely we could wait another night…

Two minutes later, as I felt the effects of the pill turning off my powers, I began to think. What if he was asleep already? No, he wouldn't, I thought. He would be waiting for me. I had a last look at my large, long worn, black T-Shirt and pink flanel pants, and shrugged. It would have to do : fine _lingerie_ wasn't something I had in my drawers. I tiptoed through the dark corridors up to his room. Arriving in front of the door, I almost lost my balance. I put my hands on the doorframe and glued my ear on the door. I could hear a slow, deep breathing coming from inside. Okay, so he WAS asleep. "At least he doesn't snore" I thought, a smile on my lips. I slowly turned the handle and popped my head inside the dark room. The window was slightly open, letting in a hot breeze that stired the blue curtains. The big four posts bed laid in the middle of the bedroom, a few feet from the door. Remy was lying on his right side, facing the window, his back turned to me. He had gotten himself all twisted in the black cotton sheets, and the dark blue quilt was discarded on the floor, along with the cushions and decorative pillows. Almost entirely uncovered by the sheets, he was only wearing a pair of boxer shorts. I smiled.

I silently walked to the bed and climbed on the high mattress. He stired in his sleep and I froze, not wanting him to wake up. Not wanting to…? I shook my head and laid down beside him, chukling under my breath. I _would_ have to wake him up if I wanted anything manly from the sleeping form in front of me. I smiled and turned onto my right side so that my stomach touched his back. He took a small intake of breath as I put my left hand on his chest. Had I waked him? Yes. He suddently put his left hand on mine and squeezed gently.

"I sure hope it's you, chérie" he said with a smile in his sleepy voice. "Do ye not know how _cold_ your hands're?" I restrained a nervous laugh.

"Ah guess that's because Ah'm nat used to not wearin' any gloves…Ah wasn't sure whether to wake yah up or nat." I stopped breathing. Why did I have to say that? He turned himself so he could face me and plunged his eyes into mine. They seemed all black in the dark, but I could still see a small red glow when the light of a passing car temporarily lighted the room. He reached up and touched my cheek. 

"What do you want, then? If you… well… Rogue, Remy don't want you to do anything you don't really… want to" he finally said. He must have been getting as nervous as me for not calling me _chérie in two whole sentences. I bit my lip._

"It's nat that Ah don't wanna… Remy, Ah love yah. And Ah… want tha make love with'yah. But… Ah don't know if Ah can… Ah mean… Ah've never…" I ended lamely. These tears again! I must have cried at least three dozen times since the morning.

He raised himself on one elbow and bent his head to gently kiss my lips. He moved his mouth to kiss the tears on my cheeks, and wispered in my ear. "If you trust me, Rogue, I swear I won't hurt'ye". I swallowed hard and nodded.

He moved his mouth to my neck, raising gooseflesh all over my body, before bending his head downwards to more serious work. And when later, when he took me, it hurt enough for me to moan, he stopped moving and held me tight. He waited for me to nod again, and brought me to the verge of consciousness. Again. And again.

It was a very long night.

***************

I came out the elevator leading to the basement, to Hank's laboratory, with a fresh new batch of violet pills. I had been using them for 3 months now and had no problems with them. They wore off after more or less 8 hours and left me powerfull as always. I had gained confidence now that I had leashed my powers. And I had also gained a lot more.

I had never been so happy. We haven't really moved officially together since I still had my own bedroom, but I joined Remy in his four posts bed every night. I put the small plastic bottle on the night table, next to the other set of pills I had begun to take as well. I smiled. Maybe, one day…

I took of my clothes and slipped into my nightdress. I laid in bed next to Remy's already sleeping form, and relaxed as the drifts of sleep began to take over my mind.

***************

I frowned, looking around to see my surroundings. This was clearly a dream, I couldn't remember what I was doing here. But it was not one of those dreams you're not sure about, or one of those who don't make any sense when you wake up. No. This one looked _real_. As I stood on the white moon-like sand underneat a blue-black sky where no stars could be seen, I could still feel the bedsheets around my body and the softness of the mattress. And though I could not see him, I could feel Remy's presence by my side. 

Then my blood ran cold, as a low, sinister laugh came from all around me.

**To be continued!**


	3. Daydreamer

**Note from me**** : Not mine. Marvel's. No money to give if you sue. Just for fun. Action's coming, too many ideas in my head for this chapter, you'll just have to wait. The next chapter will probably be up by tomorrow, I'm on vacation and it's raining here… Enjoy.**

_Chapter 3_

_Daydreamer_

I felt hair raise on my arms as silence fell again on the strange white plain. I had to wake up, it couldn't be very hard, could it? I closed my eyes, but no matter how hard I concentrated, the eery landscape was still there when I opened them. I sighted, and began to walk towards nowhere.

The sand was hot under my bare feet, although there was no sun shining. In fact, the dark sky had no stars, no moon, and nothing could have produced any light around me. Only desolation, a strange laugh coming from nowhere and a very cold breeze seeping up my bare legs under my nightshift. I repressed a big shudder and crossed my arms on my chest to warm me up. What kind of dream was that?

Then I saw them. 

Strange shadows were creeping on the ground. They were far away, but the plain was flat and I could see miles away. They were making a low burring sound, as if they were all talking at the same time. My heart started to beat faster as I saw the things were very numerous, and coming towards me. And when I saw small bright red eyes shining in the shodows and the glitter of sharp small teet, I panicked, turned and began to ran.

The sand WAS hot and smooth, and my feet kept sinking into the ground. I was completely out of breath before no time, but the shadows were right behind me; I could hear them. There were rocks all around me, I had to dodge and jump over in order to run like hell in hope of waking soon. Then I knocked my feet on a rock and pure white pain came across my leg. I screamed when I lost my balance and bumped my head on a small rock. I raised myself on my arms, coughing sand, to meet red eyed black creatures looking at me. The burring sound was almost impossible to bear and my ears rang hard enough for my head to spin. My feet hurt and I felt blood tikling down my neck from my head where I had bumped it. I had somehow managed to get my left hand cut in the process of falling down and I could feel the burning of it as sand infiltered in the open wound.

Pain?

How the hell was I supposed to feel pain… in a dream? I began to panick as the wicked beasts gathered around me, burring and making a eery wheezing sound. No, the wheezing sound was coming from me, I noticed, as I hyperventilated and panicked, convinced that this was the end.

"Stop" said a low voice. I turned around and gaped at the tall man that was standing behind me. He wore a black cape so his body was hidden, but the pale marble like face and the bright red eyes were impossible to forget.

"Sinister!" I yelled. "Were the hell did yah take me! What IS this damn place!" I got on my knees and screamed at him. I wasn't afraid anymore. "What d'yah want, Sinister? Yah wanna kill me? Or yah just the new version of the boogie man? Coming through mah closet to scare me to death in mah dreams?" He just smiled, sharp teeth flashing for a moment.

"My dear Rogue, you are so entertaining. Kill you? No, not tonight. No, I just wanted to give you a hint on what's coming for your friends the X-Men" He clapped his hands and, as the dizziness began to make me sleepy, I noticed the wee beasties smiling and laughing. I shuddered as the darkness filled my head. 

I fainted.

***************

I slowly oppened my eyes. I was lying in the bed, entangled in the sheets, and had sweat all over my body. I looked at the ceiling as my heart slowed to a normal rhythm. My lungs hurt as I recovered from hyperventilating. My head hurt too. I sat up in bed and put my feet on the floor. A bolt of pain shot through my leg and I took a deep breath, swallowing down a creeping panic. I slowly limped to the bathroom, closed the door, turned on the light and  leaned on the counter. My jaw dropped and stayed that way when I saw my bloody forehead in the mirror. I lifted my hand to touch it and noticed the deep cut in my hand. I sobbed, and tears began to flow from my eyes.

***************

I sat at the kitchen table, holding my cup of coffee with shaking hands. I had cleaned and bandaged my left hand. As for my head, the deep cut was under my hair, where nobody would see it. My leg still hurt but the limp had gone. Except for my hand, hopefully nobody would notice.

I leaped like a frog when I felt hands on my shoulders. I turned around to meet Remy's eyes, questionning mine. I took a deep breath. Relax, girl.

"You okay, _chérie_?" He asked, a worried line between his eyes. I felt uneasy looking at them. The red glow reminded me of… I shook my head. This is Remy, stupid, not Sinister nor the mad beasties in the dream.

"Yeah, I'm just a bit nervous, sugah. Nothin' wrong. Ah had a bad dream, that's all." He took me in his arms and held me close.

"Why didn't ye wake me up, _ma belle? Dis can help, you know, to talk about dose nightmar'o yours." He smiled and bent his head to kiss me. I put a hand on my mouth to prevent him from doing so._

"Ah wouldn't do that if Ah were yah"

"Oh, okay…" His smiled faded a bit but he gathered me closer to him, and put his chin on the top of my head. I wince when it touched the sore spot where I had bumped it. He felt my grimacing and looked down at my face. Then he noticed my bandaged hand. "What happened to you, _chérie? You hadn't that last night"_

"Ah… This, Ah cut myself. Ha… a kitchen knife, it… it slipped. It's not a bad cut, it doesn't even hurt anymore" I lied. He saw it in my eyes.

"And your head?" He knew me too well.

"Ah bumped it on the kitchen counter… reaching for a frying pan" I knew I didn't have Gambit's poker face. I also knew he didn't believe a word of what I was saying. "To cook some eggs. Yah want some?"

He looked towards the counter and the stove and, not seeing any frying pan or eggs, looked back at me, raising one brow in questionning. "You take me for a fool?" his eyes silently said. "No, but I dare you to contradict me, man" mine said in return. He stared at me for a few seconds, questionning my eyes. Getting no response, he shrugged. "_Non, _merci_." He left the kitchen, leaving me alone. I sat abruptly on a chair and put my face in my hands._

**To be continued…**

**Haha, how's that? I'm really having fun writing this. Thanks for the reviews, it's always nice to have some feedback.**


	4. À dormir debout

**Note**** : I'm on fire! Wow, four chapters in two days… Can you tell I'm on vacation? Can you tell it's raining outside? Again, the characters in this chapter aren't my creation, they are Marvel's. No money made, don't sue. Cause I've got no money to give you.**

**Okay! Now, the fun can begin. Let's have a look at this…**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 4_

_À dormir debout_

He sat on the couch next to Logan with a loud sight. The man looked at him from under his brows, dark blue eyes questionning.

"I guess this is when I ask you "what's wrong, dear friend?"… you don't look well, Gumbo… Didn't sleep well… again?" Logan smiled and winked. 

"_Non_, I slept. Rogue was acting strange dis morning, though." Remy took the remote control and turned on the television, putting an end to any further questions. "She's hurt herself, and wouldn't tell me how."

Logan pursed his lips. "Well, as long as she's okay…"

"_Mouais, j'imagine_" (yeah, I guess so)

***************

I trained all day until dinner came. I went to the kitchen to grab my plate and took it up to my room. I was feeling really weird. I also had to admit that the idea of sleeping that night was scaring the wits out of me. I sat on my bed and read books until a knock came on the door. "Come in", I said. Remy popped his head inside. Seeing me, he made a little smile and entered the room. He closed the door and, turning to face me, gave me the pleasure of a frown.

"You avoidin' Remy, girl?" He said to me. His voice was shaky, and I could see he was quite angry. "Could ye at least tell me why? What I did to make you mad?"

Me, mad at him? Darn…

"Ah'm not mad at yah, sugah… please, don't over react, Remy…"

"Over react?!?!" He hadn't over reacted yet. But he was in the process of doing so, now. His face was flushed with anger. I could see his eyes blazing with hot fire. I had already seen him mad, but not at me. I shrank back in my pillows when he came in front of the bed. "You ignore me! Damn you, Rogue, you won't ever tell me what's happen to ye! _Bordel, you hurt yourself and den you act like I was de one who beat you!!!" He was yelling by then, shooting his frustration at me. You've own it, girl.You haven't said a gentle word to him since morning, and, even then, you lied to him. The door flung open and Scott came into the room._

"What's the problem here? Remy, what the hell is going on?"

"Ask her, Cykes." They both looked at me, and I just went on looking at the very interesting page 78 of the book I was reading. "Rogue…" he said. "Oh _et merde_, you can just go on staying alone, reading your damn book, for all I care." He turned on his heels and left the room. As I heard his loud steps heading to the west corridor, Scott stared at me for a moment, let go a sight and gently closed the door.

I sighted. I would explain everything to him… tomorrow. But now, I had a night to spend reading.

***************

"Oh darn, not again." There I was, standing on the white sand. The pitch black sky still didn't show any light, but I could see very clearly around me, as if light was shinning from the ground. I had fallen asleep on my book, too tired to keep my eyes open.

"Oh, you're here too, _chérie?" I snapped my head behind me to see Remy, dressed in blue boxer shorts and a large white T-Shirt._

"What the HELL are yah doin' in mah dream!" His brows went up at that, and he snored.

"Well, _chérie_, I could ask you de same damn thing. But you seem to know de place, _non? Dis dream usual to ye?" I took a deep breath. At least I wasn't alone._

"This is the dream Ah had last night, Remy… And it's here that Ah hurt mahself."

He frowned. "You've hurt yourself… in a dream, _chérie?"_

Then he saw something behind me and his eyes went wide with fear. That wasn't something I had ever seen in these eyes and I repressed a shudder as I began to hear the low burring of the shadows creeping up to us. "If Ah were yah, sugah, Ah'd run for mah life." His eyes went to me, and he grabbed my hand before running like hell in the other direction. His years of training as a thief helped him ; he moved with the grace of a cat and had no difficulty dodging the rocks. He was bigger than me, though, and his feet sank deep in the hot sand. I puffed loudly, hardly able to catch my breath, trying my best to keep up.

He didn't see the man standing before us and almost bumped into him. 

"There there, dear friends, don't you panick. My minions will not hurt you unless I order them to."

"Sinister? What… what is dis place?" I saw the heat raise in Remy's face as he flung himself at Sinister, trying to knock him down. But it seemed he would have had better result by trying to make a rock melt. Sinister raised his arm and sent a bolt of pure energy at Remy, sending him into the air to land on a big rock. I shuddered when I heard a evil sounding cracking sound when he landed. I turned back to Sinister, who just smiled at me. He clapped his hands and I began to see black spots twirling around me.

***************

I woke up in my bed to the sound of the thumping of my heart. The lamp on my night table was still on and the book I had been reading had fallen on the floor. I jumped on my feet, ran out the door and headed for the men's wing. 

He had bolted his door, but I kicked it open, not even thinking how I could explain this is he wasn't really in my dream.

He wasn't sleeping. The sheets were discarded on the floor, and he was curled up like a ball on his bed, craddling his arm. When I touched his shoulder, he raised his head to look at me, eyes full of fear.

"Rogue… I think I broke my arm."

**To be continued…**

**To you, thanks for reviewing. No review, no sequel. So you're the reason I stay up late so you guys have something to read the next morning : Tammy, Ann, Elcy Name, T. and Jean1. Those are the ones I got before I published the chapter, at least. Thanks again.**


	5. The newcomer

**Note**** : Getting interesting, isn't it? I can't wait to write the rest of the story. The action is there, more to come. More Remy/Rogue sweets to come too. Some S.E.X. in this chapter, do not read if you're a nun. All of the characters in the chapter are property of Marvel, except for Gabrielle and her mother. Gabrielle is a invention my sometimes cracked mind comes out with, once and a while. No suing, please, my lawyer is on vacation for two weeks. Please call back for any complaints referring to the law, it'll lend me time to get my plane tickets for a unknown country far, far away. Any other reviews are welcome and praised. **

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 5_

_The newcomer_

We were all in the Professor's study, waiting. Ororo and Logan were standing near the door. Jean was sitting in a chair with Scott standing near her. The others were standing at the back of the room. Remy was sitting next to me on the small couch. He had his left arm slinged and had a dark angry glow in his eyes cercled with black rings. We all had some, I saw. Nobody could sleep well. Two days ago, I had found Remy craddling his broken arm in his bed. An arm he had broken in his dream. A dream we had shared. A dream we now shared with another X-Men each night. 

Oh, sure, we had all tried not to sleep. We stayed all together in the living room, watching TV. But it seemed to be inevitable. Now, both Jean and Logan were stuck in the dream with us. The others were nervous. Who would come next?

"My dear X-Men" began the Professor. He seemed as afraid as we all were. What was happening was totally new, unpredictable. And it also was something we couldn't do anything against. "I'm afraid, my friends, that I… I do not know what do to. This is evidently a new trick of Sinister's, but entering your dreams is a dangerous way to enter your minds. Psylocke, Jean and me have tried to stop him during the night, but it only resulted as the apparition of Jean in the dream too." He looked over us with desolated soft eyes. "I am not able to locate Sinister nor his Marauders, nor anyone who might help us find him. But we must. I have great fear that his plan is to get us all into that dream where our powers are useless, and kill us all. I can only be glad he doesn't kill you one by one." He closed his eyes. "Sinister must be stopped." Scott opened his mouth to say something, but at that moment, the phone rang.

***************

I looked at the freaky looking girl we had in front of us. A woman was standing next to her wheelchair, barely smiling. "I thank you so much for accepting Gabrielle in your school, Professor Xavier. I… I just don't know what to do with her."

Nor did we, I thought. The girl must not have been older than 17, but she wasn't mooving. She just sat straight in the wheelchair, thin arms crossed over her chest. Her skin was the purest white, a hard contradiction with the dull black hair that hung loose on her shoulders. She would have had a pretty face if she wouldn't have been so freaking scary looking. She had a slight, long face, a delicate straight nose, with round cheeks and nice neat brows. She had incredibly long lashes that fluterred once and a while when she blinked, and strikingly red full lips. She had slanted eyes that could have been beautiful if only they weren't entirely black. In fact, looking at the nervous woman at her side gave us a good idea of what she could be like if she were normal. The poor woman kept looking around her, pale blue eyes searching for understanding.

"She wasn't like that a few years ago. Beautiful, my Gabrielle was, absolutely beautiful. Then PAF!" She snapped her fingers an inch from the girl's ear, but she didn't even flinch. "One morning I found her lying in her bed, eyes gone totally black. She wouldn't talk anymore, just sitting all day long, sometimes eating some fruits, and playing with the clock. I don't really mind my daughter being a mutant, you know." She looked at us and smiled a little. "My brother is one, he can hover in the airs for a few seconds. But I really wish this didn't take my only daughter's mind away." Tears filled her eyes, and so did mine.

"Ma'm" said Remy's voice. The girl's eyes went straight towards the voice and she just went on staring at him. He coughed, uneasy. "_Excusez-moi,_ ma'm, but… what did you mean by "playing with the clock"?"

"Oh. Well, it's her mutant power, you know." She paused, and put a hand on her daughter's shoulder. Gabrielle just tilted her head, but didn't stop staring at Remy. A strong shudder went throught his body and into mine as I put a hand on his good arm. The woman continued. "She'll be able to manipulate time and space, my Gabrielle."

***************

I put down the glass of water on the counter, and felt the pill dissoluting in my body. I went back to the living room and put my hands on Remy's eyes. "Guess who, sugah." He smiled. Wake-up pills and rented movies had kept all of us awaken for a while, and the Professor had found a way to protect us from the dreams, one at a time, by putting us into a kinda magneto-like mind-shell helmet Hank and the Professor had made. Not comfortable, but useful. We had been using the helmet for a few weeks. The search for Sinister had been put away for some time, at least until the Professor had helped Gabrielle out of her strange transe. A shudder went throught my whole body, as it always did when I thought of the girl. 

I sat next to Remy, who started the DVD player. He bent his head to kiss me and cupped my face in his two hands. His arm had healed enough for him to wear only a light splint that gave him more freedom in his movements than the big plaster cast he had to wear for a few weeks. The kiss went deeper as I ran my hands in his dark auburn locks, and I held the back of his head and pulled him to me. He pushed me back into the cushions and half layed on me, hardly breathing. I heard light footsteps in the near corridor, then a small feminine chuckle, and the sound of the door closing as someone politely walked away. Remy just smiled and resumed with the kissing. His right hand went to my waist to slowly creep under my shirt and up to my breast, witch he gently cupped. His mouth went to bite my earlobe and his breath tickled my neck. He pulled up my shirt and his mouth went to my breasts. I sat up to take off his T-Shirt and ran my hands on his chest and shoulders, raising gooseflesh all over his body. He groaned a little and took my mouth, his tongue touching mine, as he rummaged to get my short skirt up. I managed to break free of the kiss long enough to fill my lungs with air, and he whispered in my ear, his voice husky with desire. "I want you, Rogue. I love you so, my heart feels like its gonna blow." Then his lips came on mine again.

I don't remember anything about the movie.

***************

The Professor had made us come again in his study. We were all watching Gabrielle as her startling black eyes travelled from a X-Man to another. Well, she didn't talk, but at least she looked conscious enough to understand what we said.

"My friends, I have thought of a way to stop Sinister. It is farfetched, very dangerous, and quite incredible to believe, but it is the only way to make sure that Sinister disapears." He hovered to the window and looked out for a moment. He turned back to us and gave us a light smile. "We all know that Sinister isn't really human, but he was once. Nathaniel Essex was born in the north of England, near Scotland, in 1745. He was what could be called a doctor at these times, before he was transformed into the monster we know today by Apocalypse." His eyes travelled through the room to meet our startled looks. "Gabrielle has the power to manipulate time and space. She is capable to transport herself or any other living creature back into time, and anywhere in the world, as long as the place exists, and as long as the time she aims already occurred."

"So she is not capable of travelling into the future" said Logan. "Are you proposing, Professor, that we go back in time?"

"I am, Logan. It is the only way of destroying Sinister before he ever get to be as dangerous as he is today." I felt my heart beat faster. "But not all of you can travel through time, my fellow X-Men. Some of you will make it, and some of you will not."

**To be continued…**

**Well that took a lot of time!!!! Now I'm going to sleep to rise and shine tomorrow, ready to offer you my best writting ever. Thanks a lot for the other reviews. It's really encouraging!**


	6. Time travel

**Note, again**** : Okay, that fic is gonna be really different than the others you may have read, you already guessed that. It Is getting different to write since I'm going to have to open my history books in order to give correct information. Now, I based my vision on Remy's powers on many fics I read, which gave him strong but telepathic abilities, like being able to block his mind from whoever wants to read it, or to hurt someone by concentrating (wich I don't have the intention to use). All of the characters are Marvel properties, I do this just for fun, not for money. Only Gabrielle is mine, thanks for asking before using her. **

**Oh, I just hope you like the time travelling idea… A few reviews said it was original, but please tell me. I'm so stressed! I want you to love this!**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 6_

_Time travel_

I stood like a young soldier at boot camp, with Jean on my right and Jubilee on my left. The guys formed another line in front, facing us. Remy winked at me and I returned a febble smile. All of us were nervous. We were used and trained to fight and defend ourselves. And now, we were going to have to face something we didn't know. Something we couldn't fight, anyways. And something we might have to face alone, in another time, two hundred years from now. Yeah, nervous indeed.

We were in the Danger Room, the largest one available. Gabrielle was sitting in her wheelchair at the end of the two lines. I smiled when I saw our clothes. We had dressed in 18th century clothes and looked like bad actors waiting for the producer to clap his hands. I wore a woollen beige dress, with a thin chemise under it and a large number of petticoats. I wore old mules that hurt my feet like hell and held a chale to my shoulders. Most of the other X-Gals wore the same, but I had to wear a laced brown cap on my head to hide the white band in my hair. Ororo was out because of the colour of her skin. It had hurt her when we said it, but black slavery was still a very popular thing in the 18th century, and we didn't want anybody to get into serious trouble. I looked at Remy and smiled. He always looked good in anything he wore, and 18th century brown breeks and an woolen shirt beneath a not-very-white chemise, along with leather-like shoes weren't an exception. Some guys had something to hide as well. Kurt was out of the expedition; we were afraid the travel wouldn't work on a teleporter. Besides, it was too hard hiding his blue skin and shinning yellow eyes. Cyclops couldn't come either, his eyes having to be hidden under special glasses. The Professor had wanted us to be as dircreet as possible and sunglasses weren't the perfect way to stay dicreet in 1765. That had caused Remy trouble, but he was now wearing a dark hooded cloak. With the large hood on his head, his red-on-black eyes were invisible to the eye, unless he wanted them to be seen. He did, and I saw one of the red glitters wink and a brief flash of white as he smiled. Fine. Let them think he's a vampire, if not a demon. That would help. And of course, Hank McCoy was to stay here as well.

The Professor entered the Danger Room. He looked at us in the eyes, and finally spoke.

"There are some things you have to know before you go. Time is a very difficult thing to control. It goes on parallel worlds, each one separated by more or less thirty to fifty years from the others. Each of these worlds is an copy of the other, but everything that happens in one world has effects on all the parallel worlds. If you change the past, you will change the future. That is why I want you to be as discreet as possible and to never use your powers in front of human beings. Rogue, you will take your pills at all times, we must not take the risk of you absorbing anyone. Stop taking it only when you have found where Essex is. The mutants are not to be known until this time. Now. We know that Nathaniel Essex has lived in England, in a small city called St-Johns *, all his life. Gabrielle's power allows her to manipulate the different parallel worlds in order to ship something or someone into one of these. What we want is for you to be as close as possible to the city of St-Johns, England, and as close as possible to 1765, when Essex was only 20 years old. You will have to dispose of him so he cannot cause any more trouble. I do not like this way of resolving our problems by destroying. But Sinister has given us no choice." He paused and took a deep breath. "By telepatic ways, I have been able to communicate with Gabrielle, who told me some things about the time travelling. Not every human being, mutant or not, is compatible with this travel, and some of you she wont be able to send away. It is even possible that nobody here is able to travel time. If only one of you gets there, you must be reassured. I can contact you telepathicaly through Gabrielle's mind. You will have fourteen days to find Essex and destroy him. Good luck, my friends."

***************

Gabrielle's wheelchair rolled to stand in the middle of the room. She motionned us to stand around her in a circle. She raised her hands in the air and yelled. I put my hands to my ear and squinted my eyes. I wasn't the only one. Everyone seemed to think that sound was unbearable. Scratching nails on a black board made more beautiful music and my ears were ringing before very long. Then it stopped. I opened my eyes.

I first thought Gabrielle was standing, but then I saw her feet floating in the air. Her arms were still over her head, and she was looking up to the ceiling. I saw black tears trickle from her eyes as a black smoke began to twirl around her feet. I looked at my feet to see the same smoke, forming a small tornado and lifting me in the air. I was becoming dizzy, everything turned in my head and black dots were having a party in front of my eyes. I screamed when I had the feeling of hitting a wall at about a hundred miles an hour, at least. The felling slowly subsided, though, to a wet feeling. I opened my eyes to realize I was lying in a puddle of water, in the middle of the nature. I blinked once or twice, and got up. I was wet all over and had a large patch of mud on the front on my dress. My cap had untied and layed on the ground, and my hair was loosely having fun going in all directions. I picked up the cap and put it back on. Was I in the past? And was I alone?

*Rogue, are you all right?*

"Professor! Oh Ah glad to hear yah! Ah'm alone, Professor!"

*No, Rogue. Remy has gone too. Though he will have to get rid of his bad habit of blocking his mind to any communication. I cannot find him, but he can't be very far from you*

"Oh, okay, Ah'll search for him"

*Rogue, please be careful. I will take contact with you shortly. Good luck.*

"Thanks"

I began looking around me. The forests were thicker than in our time, and I had a lot of trouble finding my way through the bushes. "Swamprat! Where are yah!" Blocking his mind to communication, the Professor said. But I didn't think he would do so in such circumstances. I slowly began to worry after half an hour looking for him in that forest, when I saw him. He was lying under a tree, face down in the mud, not moving. I gasped. I ran to him and turned him on his back.

**To be continued…**

* I do not believe there is really a city called St-Johns in England. If there is, I'm sorry, I made this one up. I needed a name that souded like a small city J


	7. Wrong beginning

**Note : The ones you know are Marvel's. The others are mine. I'm having fun, are you? Again some S.E.X. in this one (I hope you don't mind that), and a Remy who's really good getting into deep trouble. Thanks for the reviews, it's great to know you like it!**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 7_

_Wrong Beginning_

I layed him down on his back and used my sleeve to wipe out the mud from his face. He didn't seem badly damaged, but looked like he had been knocked down quite bad. I heard a cracking sound behind me and turned on my heels.

"Oh well, what do we have here!" said the man behind me with a strong English accent. "If I had know he was in so good company, I would have killed him instead of knocking him out." Clearly an English officer, he was dressed in the red Dragon's coat. He wore riding black boots and had a silly looking wig on his head.

"Why did yah have to do that, yah… yah English rat!" No other name had come to my mind, but he seemed more surprised by my accent than by what I'd said.

"Beggin is illigal, missus, unless you have special medals to proove you have gained the Crown's pity." He frowned and pointed his gloved finger towards Remy's inert body. "He didn't seem to have them."

"What makes yah think he's a beggar, yah idiot?" I was getting nervous. Remy wasn't waking up, and the man was armed. With my powers off, I was helpless against him. "We're travellers, and we've got lost in tha woods." Well, at least that was true. He didn't seem to believe it, though.

"Mmm mmm, yes, I'm sure… Where would be your carriage, my dear?" He took a step in my direction with a bad smile on his face. And I grew up to think policemen were supposed to protect! "I haven't seen any horses anywhere."

"Gone… Ah mean… We don't have a carriage, we travel by foot." He took another step as I felt a tree behind me, blocking any escape. Great.

"By foot! My Lord, you won't be getting very far in these shoes, dear. Your feet must hurt terribly." They did. But I wasn't going to give him reason.

"No, in fact, Ah'm really comfortable, Ah thank yah. Now, Ah'm just going to wake up mah friend here…."

"Nobody's going anywhere, my dear." He put a hand on my arm to prevent me from going to Remy, took both my elbows and pushed me against the tree. His face was a glipse too much near mine, and I smelled chewed tobacco and old rhum smells running up my nose. Bad mix, I thought. "Where is it you are going?"

I hesitated a split second. He read in my open face and smiled. He squashed me hard against the tree and kissed me hard enough to hurt my lips. I didn't have the time to wriggle free before I heard a loud _thump and the man went limp. He fell to the ground, unconscious, to reveal a very mad Remy behind him, the rock he used to club the officer dropping from his hands._

"Are ye all right, _chérie_?" he asked, flush fading from his face. "_Mon Dieu_, I've hit him harder dan I wanted." I got on my knees to check the man's pulse. None.

"Ah'm all right, sugah. But yah sure know how to get yahself in trouble, honey. Yah killed the man." He sincerely looked surprised, but not sad a bit. He got on his knees to check himself. Seeing I was saying the truth, he shrugged and got on his feet.

"Oh well, wasn't my intention… I think we better get away from here, before other officers come and see us here, _chérie. I don't want to be on a trial for treason." He had an sorry look in his eyes. "Again.*" I opened my mouth to reply, but had nothing to say. He soon dismissed the matter by waving his hand, and helped me up._

"Remy… Why did you say that?"

"I… I don't know. Being so close t'killing Sinister, I guess." His fists balled at his sides and he had an angry look. "I did almost ruined m'life, working for dat man." I put a hand on his cheek.

"Remy…"

"I know. Let's go."

***************

We did not reach a single village until the next evening. I had taken my shoes off before long, but walking barefoot on rocky roads had not improved my situation. Remy wasn't feeling any better; he carried a bad headache since the mad officer hit him, and it did not improve his temper a bit. He barely talked to me and walked fast. We had stopped to spend the first night in the woods under a small shelter made of pine branches and fallen leaves, and he had waken me up at dawn for us to continue. When I saw the houses and light at their windows, I was more than relieved. Maybe we could even sleep in a bed, if there was an inn for us to stay in.

There was. Remy knocked on the door and pulled the hood on his head to hide his eyes. I smiled to the innkeeper when he opened the door.

"Excuse us, sahr, we thought yah might have a free room for me and mah brother to stay, for tanight." I said. The man looked dubiously at Remy, but I gave him my best smile. "We won't be staying long, yah see. We must be going tamorrow mornin".

"Okay, come in. I'll get my wife to prepare a room for you. Just sit and have a drink, okay?" He let us in and pointed a table in the corner. "I'll be right back."

I walked towards the table, Remy following me. He sat in the corner so he could see the door and the whole room. I sat face to him so I could see him. I barely saw a red glitter as he looked at me when I sat, but it soon disapeared as he lowered his head at the glass of beer in front of him.

"Yah can relax, sugah" I said. "Ah don't think anything'll happen here." He snorted.

"You're saying dat because you don't see deir faces, _chérie " he answered. I repressed the urge of looking behind me. "Dey're all looking at me like I'm an alien come on Earth to kill dem all." I didn't laugh at the joke._

"Forget about'em, sugah. Our room will be ready soon and we'll be sleeping in a bed, tonight" I saw a brief flash of white teeth as he smiled.

"I don't think so, _ma belle_. Unless you want to sleep with de bedbugs. I'll sleep on de carpet, myself." I stared at him, wondering if he was joking. Bedbugs? I saw the innkeeper coming towards us and I raise to my feet, trying to forget the stares of the men silently sipping on their beers, watching us as we climbed the stairs to the second floor.

***************

The room was small. It smelled awful. I cast a dubious look at the chamber pot, and went to the bed to check the sheets and occasional six-legged visitors that might live in there. It seemed ok, but after staring at the old mattress, I took off the sheets and brought them near the fire place, were Remy was lighting a fire. He saw me with the sheets and grinned. 

"Don't wanna let de bedbugs bite'ye?"

"Ah don't wanna take a chance… Besides, it can't be worse than sleeping in the heather with the wolves." He laughed.

"Sure it could be worse. We could sleep in de bed." He helped me placing the sheets and took off his cloak, throwing it on a chair. He did the same with his shoes, and slid between the sheets, fully clothed.

"Ya're gonna sleep dressed like that?" I had began to undress, but stop, seeing he wasn't.

"No… I want to be ready, in case… In case we have to leave quickly." He still was worried. 

"Sugah, yah're scared to death, and Ah can't understand why." I dropped to my knees and put a hand to his cheek. He raised his hand to put it over mine and turned his head to kiss my palm. He didn't deny he was scared, and that worried me more than anything else.

"We're in de 18th century, Rogue… Do you know what de Inquisition is? It is still in function, even in England."

"The Inquisition? The heresy fighters, from Rome?" I didn't know what he meant, but it seemed serious.

"Yes… But dey are also witch hunters…If anybody out dere meets my eyes, I'm toasted." He smiled, barely. "In every sense dat word can take. Dey'll think I'm de _Diable_ himself, and will burn me on a stake. It is not something I wish to happen, see?"

I saw, indeed. I took a long intake of breath.

"Well, nobody saw yah, didn't they? And tha door's bolted, so they can't come in. So you'll sleep, and tomorrow you'll come Essex-hunting with me. That's okay with yah?" I sat horse-like on his chest so he wouldn't move. He finally smiled and put his hands on my thighs. "Let's have a good night sleep."

"Oh, _non_, I'm not tired at all." His hands went up to cup my face and he drew me down to kiss my mouth. I tasted beer and it went through my blood as if I was drunk with the kiss. I almost really was, and my body went limp. Not letting go of my lips, he took me in his arms and flipped me onto my back so he would be on top of me. He quickly untied the laces on the front of my dress and revealed my breasts, ivory in the fire's light. His mouth went to them as he battled with my three petticoats, unable to get a grip on the laces. I giggled when he swore. "_Merde_! _Saloperie de putain de bordel! How DO you take off dese things!" He was smiling by then, but I could see he was really annoyed. I laughed and rose to take them off myself. The petticoats and the dress finaly fell off to the floor and I stood naked in front of him. He had stopped smiling and was looking at me from head to toes. I shivered, despite the heat of the fire, and felt gooseflesh rise all over my body. I hated it when he had his poker face on._

"Well, say something… Why are yah looking at me like that? It's not like yah haven't seen me that way before." He blinked twice before answering, and his face changed, switching to tenderness.

"Rogue… You are de most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I'll never grow tired of seeing you dat way, believe me." He took my hands and drove me down to lay on my back again. I unbutonned his shirt and gently kissed his chest, feeling the hard muscles relaxing under my touch. I moved my mouth to kiss his collar bone, slowly moving my lips up his neck, feeling the big artery beating madly under my lips. He groaned lightly and bit my earlobe when my breath came into his ears, and his head went down to my breasts. I felt his hand sliding between my thighs and moaned when he touched me intimately. His mouth came to mine and he slowly entered me, enclosing me in his arms, as I put my own around his neck and my legs around his. My heart filled with tenderness when he moaned and shivered in my arms, and I ran my hand through his hair and gently kissed his forehead before sleep took us both.

***************

Remy waited for me at the door as I paid the innkeeper for the night. As I turned back, a man extended an arm and put it around my waist, driving me close. His mouth smelled like distilled alcool and he was missing quite a lot of teeth. I tried to drive away but he had an impressive grip for a drunken man. 

"Hiya, young lassie, we're ye going away like that without givin'me a kiss!" He closed his eyes and pursed his lips, probably thinking I would jump at his neck and marry him in the second. I grimaced, totally disgusted, and pushed hard to get out of his grip on my waist. By the time I managed to push him away, Remy had travelled through the room and gracefully squashed his fist in the man's face, who fell to the floor at Remy's feet. I had time to put my hands on his arm to prevent further slaughter before every man sitting in the room was up, facing Remy with menacant eyes. His hood had fallen down his back, but he kept his eyes to the floor to hide them. The man he had hit, though, had a good point of vue on Remy's eyes and saw the red glitter. He suddently crept away, a terrified look in his eyes. He got back on his feet and walked backwards, eyes wide, until his back hit the wall. He screamed. "THE DEVIL! The Devil himself, from hell!". I squeezed Remy's arm, hard as steel under my arm, as the men gatered around us, staring into Remy's burning eyes.

**To be continued…**

* In reference to a certain trip to Antartica. Let's say this occurs…ammm…huh… mm… a year and a half after the Antartica episode.


	8. Joys of travel

**Note**** : Remy, Rogue and Essex belong to Marvel. All of the other insignificant humans in this chapter are my inventions. Thanks for the reviews. And thanks for telling me what you think would suck (to use the words you used *grin*) in this story. Don't worry, I don't want Remy to be burned either *other grin*. They'll find a way outa this! It just took me a lot of time finding it. Chapter 9 is a little bit more complicated to write, and my husband's joining me in vacation, and the sun has finally come up after a week of rain… I hope you're not getting to dependent on that story, as I have grown on other fanfics. Hope you like this one. Oh, and I'm sorry for the bad joke. You'll see.**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 8_

_Joys of travel_

I cursed under my breath as the men around us. We needed to get out of there, and quick.

"Can't ye fly us outa here, Rogue?" He said under his breath.

"No" I replied. "The Professor did tell me to take my pill at all time…" The men were getting closer. Remy would have to use his powers shortly. To hell with being discreet. We had our asses to save. It seemed he had reached the same conclusions and he extanded a hand to me, motionning me to handle him an object. I took a fruit in the basket on the counter and gave it to him, and he lost no time in charging it. Although instead of throwing it to the menacing (but afraid, I could see it in their eyes) men, he simply tossed it in the air in front of them. It exploded in pieces, sending hundreds of apples bits on the mouth gaped men. Remy grabbed my arm and headed to the door. 

***************

It seemed to him he kept getting into trouble each time he wanted to save her. She was getting a lot of attention from men and it looked like he was going to have to get used to see men drooling at her and trying to kiss and rape her. His eyes blazed at the thought of that disgusting, dirty looking man that held her waist… He tighten his grip on her arm and went throught the door. His space awareness warned him and he dodged the blow a man aimed at his head. They took many paces back and he gasped when he saw about fifty bad looking men around them. He knew it! They had programmed this all along, since they came into the inn last night. The innkeeper must have seen his eyes, and now the whole city was after them.

"It's the witch and her demon! Kill the witch! Burn the demon!" someone yelled in the crowd, and it roared in chorus, eager for blood.

His own blood ran cold when he felt Rogue's arm going limp and he saw her body fall to the ground. A man was standing, a big wooden stick in his hands and a bad look on his face.

"The _démon_, hey? Dat what ya want? Dat what ya'll get!!" His eyes blazed with fire as he bent to pick up fist size rocks on the ground. He stood up and threw the charged rocks at his oponents. The crowd withdrew fast, but some of them were understanding really fast he needed something to throw in order to keep them at a distance. Besides, he couldn't leave without Rogue, and couldn't throw anything while holding her in his arms. A few men threw themselves at him. He was a good fighter and he was fast and powerfull. But he wasn't able to fight against dozens of men armed to their teeth with pitchforks and wooden clubs. As he threw a man against a wall, he felt a presence behind him. A blow exploded behind his head, and the world went black.

***************

He slowly woke up. He was lying on his back, and felt dirt between his finger. He could _smell_ dirt, too. His back hurt. His arms hurt. His head hurt, and so did his nose. And damn, he could even feel his hair hurt. There was a weight on his stomach, and he put a hand to check it out. He felt hair, and popped his eyes open. He was in a hole, about as big as a closet. Rogue was lying beside him, unconscious, her head on his lap. He lifted his head and saw the opening, about twenty feet above. He grimaced, having no trouble imagining they had trown him into the hole. The sun shone throught the opening, and he knew it was about middle afternoon. His stomach told him so. He looked back down to look at Rogue. She was pretty pale and her breathing was very slow. He gently shook her shoulder, with no results. He sighted and gathered her closer. It was quite cold in the hole and her body was hot. He let his fingers run in her hair. He gasped when he saw blood on them, and bent to look. The bastards had hit her behind the head and she had a bad wound on her skull. His eyes first watered, then blazed. The _salauds_ would pay. He cupped Rogue's cheek and put her head onto his shoulder. She had to wake up. She couldn't be badly hurt, couldn't she? He closed his watering eyes, feeling helpless.

Suddently his head began to turn, and he smiled a bit. As he felt Rogue's waking powers entering his mind through his hand on her cheek, he knew she would be okay. It was the last thing he thought before he lost consciousness. 

***************

I woke up slowly, feeling Remy's hand slowly slipping from my face. My head felt like it was going to explose into bits and pieces. Fire was burning in my veins, and I knew my powers had come back. My hands were burning like fire with Remy's power and his thoughts and worries danced in my head. And he was worried, and scared indeed.

He was lying by my side, unconscious. We were in a dark hole and the opening was about twenty feet over our heads. I smiled. They weren't going to keep the Devil and his witch in a simple hole for long! I took Remy in my arms and flew towards the opening.

They were gathering wood, I saw, around a post in front of the chuch. A deep shiver ran down my spine and I flew towards the clouds, pushing away the thought of what could have hapenned if my powers hadn't came up in time.

***************

He woke up to the smell of fire, and jumped to his feet, scared to death. She lifted her head to look at him, and smiled. "Yah can sit down, sugah, and relax a bit. We're miles from crazy town." They were in the woods, and the sky was dark enough to see stars beginning to shine. He sighted with relief and sat down next to her.

"Oh, _mon Dieu_, dat was almost close. I thought I was cooked, for sure."

"Yah almost was." A shadow crossed her face and she handed him a piece of bread. "They were gathering wood for tha stake, when we left."

"Make it a medium steak*, please." She didn't laugh. "Ah, Rogue, it's over. You said it yo'self, we're miles awa' from dere." She turned to him, emerald eyes glittering in the fire light. He felt his breath go away to see her so beautiful, and felt a stupid smile grow on his face. Her eyes turned angry in a second.

"What yah're smiling about? Yah almost got yahself killed!"

"I was thinking you're very beautiful, Rogue. _Ravissante. __Magnifique." She raised her brows, and began to laugh. _

***************

I couldn't believe it. Beautiful? _Ravissante? _Magnifique_? I hadn't bathed for days. I had slept in branches and dead leaves and lied in the dirt for a whole day with beetles and spiders. My hair was going in all directions, waving in a cloud of auburn and white around my head like the Medusa. I had dirt all over my dress, and my hands and feet were black. I had filth all over my face. And I was beautiful? I felt an hysterical laugh grow in my chest. He just stared at me, smiling and frowning at the same time, as I doubled up on the ground, holding my hurting tummy and laughing to get rid of the stress of the past hours. After a while, I sat up, wiping the tears from my eyes._

"Oh my Gawd, Remy, Ah'll die laughing staying with yah. And to think Ah could spend hours in tha bathroom, just making mahself pretty for yah. And now, Ah'm covered with filth from head to toes, and Ah'm beautiful?" His grin widened. "Is is true, then, that love makes men blind?"

"Yo women don't understand you're always beautiful. Yo're just even _more_ beautiful when y'have spent hours in de bathroom, using all of de hot water for y'hair." I laugh and he made that heartwarming smile again, opening his arms. I sat on his lap and cuddled close, putting my head on his shoulder, and he sighted with pleasure, putting his arms around me and leaning against a tree. "I love you, Rogue" he murmured in my hair. I kissed my gloved fingers and put them to his lips. He kissed them back and closed his eyes, contented.

"And Ah love yah too, sugah."

***************

The next day, we decided it was better to fly to St-Johns. We seemed to attract more attention by foot then by staying above the clouds. Besides, they had taken Remy's cloak when we got captured and we had no a lot more money to buy one, but we needed to. I had refused when he proposed so steal one from a local farmer. These people had their problems, we had ours. No stealing. He had shrugged and given me his hands, smiling like a kid that wants you to take him in your arms. We had bought the cloak.

We arrived to a small town in mid-afternoon. We were on the side of the road leading into town when a huge cart pulled by two big brown horses stopped by our side. Remy quickly pulled the hood of his new brown cloak over his head as a young boy shouted some greetings to me.

"Wanna lift, missus? You and your friend?"

"Well sure, thank yah" I said with a smile. Once on board, I tapped on the boy's shoulder. He turned and looked at me.

"A question, missus?"

"Yah, it may sound weird a bit but… What is that town we're going tha?"

"That'll be St-Johns, missus. This's where ya wanna go, right?"

"Raht, Ah thank yah." I turned to Remy and shivered when I saw the look of anger in his eyes. 

We were getting closer to Essex.

But not close enough for him.

**To be continued…**

*  **drum beats** As we say here in Québec, _scuzez-la_! Sorry for the bad pun, I felt like it.


	9. Thinking too much

**Note**** : Oh my, oh my. There's another chapter for you to have something to gnaw on while I write the next one. I got about half of what I wanted to put in that one. I promise it shouldn't take long. Thank you so much for the reviews, I can see some of you are loyal readers, it feels so good. If you have any questions on the story, just ask, I'll do my best to anwser them in a note like this one in the next chapter. Disclaimer : X-Mens and foes are not mine, they're Marvel's.**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 9_

_Thinking too much_

The boy I had thought young was in fact in his late teens, and had a sweet smile he gave me every four or five seconds. We talked all the way, while Remy stayed in the back, silent, as the boy's father drove the cart into the town, and stopped in front of a tavern. The man opened his mouth for the first time and barked orders to his son to lead the horses in the back. Then he looked at me with a stern look. 

"They'll be somethin' to eat and drink inside, lassie. Ye can also rent a room fo' yaself, and another fo ye'friend" he howled with a burring scottish accent. Resisting the temptation of putting my hands on my ears to protect them from the (probably half deaf) man's voice, I waited for Remy to jump of the cart before taking the hand he offered to help me down. I looked into his eyes while the man was uncharging the cart and whispered in his ears. "Don't worry, we'll be more careful this time. Although it's a bigger town, maybe they won't chase us with wooden sticks and pitchforks." I smiled when he gave me a narrow look and turned to enter the tavern.

It seemed I was right. It was a bigger town, with a lot of people, and our entering the tavern went unnoticed. There were dozens of people here, drinking, playing cards, laughing and talking loud, and I saw several women sitting and chatting in a corner, each with a baby plugged to their breasts. Three small children chasing each other passed in front of us, yelling their lungs out. I smiled when I felt Remy's shoulders relax. I streched my neck and whispered : "Told yah". He didn't reply.

I went to the counter and rented a room. Several men saw me and gave me their most precious smiles, witch generaly consisted of missing and rotten teeth. I smiled back, chuckling as the remarks on my backside and breasts they didn't even care to whisper came behind my back. I gave the key to our room to Remy. "Wait for me, Ah'll get us something to drink." He nodded. There was a strange glow in his eyes, but I forgot about it and head back to the counter. 

A man leaving the tavern stood up just in front of me and his shoulder collided with my chin, knocking hard and sending stars before my eyes.

"Aow!! Ouch, that hurt!"

"Oh my Lord, I am so sorry, miss, I hadn't seen you coming. Here, my dear, please sit down, I'll get you something to drink, something… anything…" He was already leaving for the bar but I stopped him by putting a hand on his arm.

"No, Ah thank yah, Ah'll be alright. Ah just need to sit down a few seconds, Ah don't need anything." I smiled at him and he looked down at me, smiling back. He was a handsome man, in his early twenties. Quite tall and with broad shoulders, he had light brown hair, quite long, tied up with a blue ribbon in his back. He was well dressed, with a black coat and white jabot shirt, and silver buttons orned the front of his vest. He had a long and homely face, and startling sky-blue eyes. I was wondering what else he had so different from the other men in the room when I noticed that his smile was entirely white. No rotten or missing teeth in that sweet smiling mouth. I blushed, and his grin widened.

"Then if you are feeling well, miss, I'm afraid I must leave. An emergency is waiting for me. May I say I hope we meet again, miss?"

"I yah want to, Ah won't stop yah, sir… Have a good day." He put his hat on his head and made a small nod in my direction. 

"Have a good day, then, miss." He left throught the tavern door, and I shook my head. I stood up and went to our room. I had totally forgotten our drinks.

***************

He closed the door and went to the window. He leaned on the frame and stared at the man and his son that had taken them here, taking care of the two horses before leading them in the small barn. He sighted. What the hell was wrong with him? He had never felt jealous before in all the years he had known and loved Rogue. Well, maybe a few times, he thought with a smile, but never when he had absolutely no reason to be. And here, there were only disgusting, barbarian and drunken men that saw her as prey. No reason to be jealous of them, bringing himself to the smallest common denominator.

But she acted so naïve, it made him mad… No. He shook his head, closing his eyes. Rogue wasn't naïve. She never was. He only wished she could be, so it would give him a reason to act stupidly like a possessive caveman. She knew the dangers of this time, and she knew how to defend herself, especially with her powers back on line.

His jaw tightened. She was his. He wanted these bright green eyes to hold love only for him. He never was jealous or possessive before, because of her powers. She was untouchable. She couldn't be taken away from him, because it seemed only him wasn't bothered by the impossible flesh-to-flesh contact. He didn't care. He loved her and she loved him, that was all he asked.

But now, he loved her even more since she was touchable. He could now tell her all his heart with more than words. 

He wanted her to smile at him. He wanted to hold her on his lap and squeeze her until he hears her ribs crack. He wanted her hair on his face, and her tears on his shoulder. He wanted her to hold him in her arms and drive her fingers through his hair as he fell asleep.

He wanted to ravish her at once, and hear her short breathing in his ears. He wanted to feel her shake in his arms, and hear her moan as ecstasy filled her body and ran through her blood.

Since she had begun taking the miracle pills, she had more confidence in herself. A better self esteem. She had finally learned to love herself.

She was desirable.

Approachable.

Even for others. Other than him.

Even worst…

She had the choice.

His fingers gripped the window frame. He had found his problem. His heart skipped a beat when he thought of his life without Rogue.

Would she think about it?

About what it would be with another man?

What it would be without him?

_He_ certainly did. And he knew it was stupid to be scared. But he was.

***************

I gently closed the door behind me and looked at him. He was looking through the window. He had heard me. Would have known I was there even if I would had not made a noise. But he kept looking outside, silent as a rock. What was going on with him, I didn't know. After so many years, he was still a mystery for everyone, even me. I felt heat in my brain as he unlocked his telepathic wall and his empathy filled me. He felt my worrying and questionning. My love for him, I hope. He slammed the door to his mind and slowly turned to meet my eyes. I saw worries too in the red irises, and fear also.

"I don't think even I know m'self, Rogue. I wish I coud." I hated when he read my thoughts like that.

"Aren't yah going to tell me what's goin'on in ya head, sugah? Or Ah'm goin'ta have to shake yah until yah spit it out?" He actually smiled at that and tilted his head to the right, stars in his red-on-black eyes.

"I'd certainly like'ta see dat, _chérie." He walked towards the bed and let himself fall on it, half laying on the high bed. The sides of the mattress raised as the middle went down under his weight. "Dat is _really_ uncomfortable. Care for a night on the carpet, again?" I walked to the bed and sat on a corner of the mattress, carefully checking for bugs before placing my bottom on the woolen sheets._

"Yeah, as long as we're far from tha bedbugs." I poked him in the ribs. "Don't try ta change subjects, swamprat! Yah were going ta tell me why yah're suddently looking like a lonely wolf without his herd." His smile disapeared and he sat up. He stared at his hands for what seemed a long time, then raised his head to look at me. He looked ashamed of himself,  and attempted a small smile.

"Well… Rogue… Do you ever think, sometimes… Of what it could be like? With another man than me?"

I hadn't been waiting for that kind of question. My eyebrows went high and I stared at him. He honestly was afraid, but of what? Of me cheating on him? Of me leaving him? He kept his mind closed and didn't use his empathy powers, but he searched my eyes.

"Remy… You're honestly asking this?" He swallowed hard and nodded.

"I need to know, or I won'survive another day. Der's too much in my head right now. Don't lie to me, Rogue." I was beginning to feel uncomfortable under his helpless stare, and I looked down to smooth the wool of my dress with my fingers.

"Ah couldn't lie to yah, yah'd know it raht away." I paused. He didn't move, waiting. "Since Ah began taking that pill, Ah've thought of what it _could_ be with others, sugah. But Ah never thought of _doing_ it." I looked at him in the eyes. The corners of his mouth twiched upwards and his hand reached for my face. "Yah think too much, honey. Yah weren't thinking Ah would leave yah someday, were yah?" I said. 

"Oh well, not dat you would, but dat it was a possibility. I'm glad dat it's not."

"That was why yah were acting so strange? Yah were jealous?" I didn't know what to feel, he had never acted possessive in any way. In fact, I was feeling quite… flattered. I put my hand on the one he had on my cheek and put a kiss on his palm, only to notice he was wearing his gloves. "Yah have the intention of blowing up something?" He smiled.

"No, actually, I was feeling cold inside." He took a deep intake of breath. "The gloves didn't help, though. Talking to you did."

I opened my arms and he took me by the waist, burrying his head in the hollow of my neck. "I don't know why, _chérie." His voice was muffled by my shirt against his mouth, but I could feel him shaking. "I just thought my life would be like hell, I you'd ever left me."_

"Shhht. Don't say things like that, silly man. Ah love yah anyways, damn yah."

He squeezed me hard, and my breath went short for a few seconds before he loosened his grip.

"I love you too."

**To be continued…**

**You have to love the sweetness! They just had to have an update on their relation, as all couples do. And I know you guys aren't always as tough as you want us to think you are. *grin* Now I have a question… I'm doing my best and English isn't my mother tongue. My brother keeps saying I'm commiting all sorts of spelling and grammar mistakes, and since the pages of my English-French dictionnary are beginning to tear up with using, it's kind of frustrating. Am I so bad? Please say no… _s'il-vous-plaît_?**


	10. Baby blues

**Note**** : That's short, very short. Just to make you salivate a bit. Besides, the following chapter is a bit complicated so I needed to get the baby in first, before anything else happens. Characters are not mine, they are Marvel's. And thanks for reassuring me on my English skills!**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 10_

_Baby blues_

The next night found us in front of a huge cottage house, about a mile and a half out of St-Johns. A small boy had told us it was Sir Essex's home, where him, his wife Bethy and his adult daughter and son, Janet and Nathaniel, lived along with two dogs and three cats. Sure enough, the name "Essex" was written on a panel on the gate in front of the house, as if it could make us any more nervous. To kill Sinister was one thing. But the man wasn't Sinister yet, and to kill a young man in cold blood was something else. But when I crossed Remy's eyes, I knew such scrupules didn't haunt his head. The man was going to turn into Sinister if we didn't kill him now. And that was it.

Remy swiftly jump over the fence as I simply flew over. There was a celebration of some sort in town; hopefully the Essex's wouldn't be at home, leaving the house empty for us to have a look at the surroundings. Remy silently moved towards the door. It wasn't easy forgetting he was once a thief, I thought, as I saw him move swiftly without making a sound. He bent on the door lock, and I heard the hinge creak as the door slowly opened a few seconds later. My jaw tightened at the sound, but the house seemed empty, and no sound could be heard from the inside. We slowly made our way into the house, checking everything around, engraving it in our heads.

We entered the lavishly decorated living room and I couldn't resist looking at the large portraits adorning the walls. I saw a man in is fifties, wearing a dark suit and a stern look, plunging his eyes into mine. I shivered and looked at the second painting.

I must have gasped, because Remy leaped like a scared frog and quickly put a hand on my mouth to shut me up. "What's de matter with you!" he hissed in my ear. I pointed at the painting.

"That man… I saw him at the tavern, yesterday!"

I had no doubt. The man in the fifties was still there, but he had a smile on his face. Behind him, a hand on his shoulder, was standing a nice looking woman in her late forties. On each of the man's sides stood who could only be his son and daugther. The young woman, not older than twenty, held in her arms one of the three cats that could be seen on the picture. She had beautiful hair hanging down on her shoulder and a nice smile. On the other side of the picture was standing a tall, young handsome man. I recognized the brown hair and the startling blue eyes at once, and my heart pinched. He seemed so nice…

"Well I hope you didn't get attached" Remy said coldly. I turned on my heels to look at him.

"Look, Ah know what we have to do. But Ah can't get outa mah head that we're gonna kill a man that is, for now, innocent. I met that man, Remy. And he didn't seem dangerous a bit."

"You're telling me you're getting a soft side for Sinister, _chérie_?" That last word had an ironic tone I didn't like.

"There is a difference, damn yah, between _being and __gonna be! That man is still innocent for me! He isn't Sinister yet!"_

He opened his mouth to reply but we both heard a sound and he snapped his head up, frozen. It was coming from upstairs. I heard it too: a woman, singing what looked like a baby's lullaby. Remy relaxed; the woman hadn't heard us. He narrowed his eyes at me. I raised my brows, challenging him with my eyes. His twinkled with malice, and he gave me a ironic smile and walked towards the staircase. I took a few seconds to realize what he was doing.

"Remy! The hell with yah, what tha hell are yah doing!" I hissed.

"I'm goin' back to sleep" he murmured back. "Open you'eyes, Rogue, what does it look like I'm doin'? I'm goin'up."

"Dammit, Remy, there's someone up there!" He didn't listened and went up the stairs. I rolled my eyes and began to follow him when my eyes caught another portrait. The young man we strongly supposed was Nathaniel was standing with both his hands on a young woman's shoulders, sitting in a arm-chair. Both of them had smiles up to their ears. Two huge hound-dogs were sitting by each of the woman's side, and she had a bundle of some sort in her arms. As I looked closer, I saw a baby's face, deep into sleep. I looked down at the signature, "Bethy Essex", and a small note, ingraved in the frame. "In the kind memory of Rebecca Essex, loved mother and wife." And when I heard a baby starting to cry upstairs, my heart stopped beating, and I felt cold.

***************

"Now there there, dear Remington, you go back to sleep, now. Nanny's there, sleep, dear child."

He stood frozen in the hallway as he saw the woman putting back the hiccuping baby into the crib. He saw a flash of dark brown hair as the pulled the sheets over him, hiding him from his view. The woman went back to her seat by the window and closed her eyes. He slowly drew back to the stairs, feeling something stuck in his throath, and began to go down, careful not to make the wood creack under his weight. Rogue was waiting for him by the door, looking outside. He took her arm and they slowly went outside. Once they had passed the gate, she fell on her knees and began to cry, her face in her hands.

"_Chérie_? Rogue, what's goin'on?" He could hardly ask her what was wrong. He got down on his knees and cupped her face. Her eyes were red and tears flowed from them, rolling down her cheeks.

"Oh, Remy…" she moaned. "That baby… it's Essex's baby!"

"Yes I could guess, but…"

"His wife is dead! We'll make him an orphan!"

That stopped him dead. Visions of the orphanage he had been living in as a child, before he ran away to live in the streets of _la Nouvelle Orléans. He shook he head, clearing the thought. "What about the orphans he gonna cause, Rogue?"_

She sniffed. "I don't know, Remy. Ther's somethin' wrong with that baby, Ah can't put mah finger on it."

"I think so too."

She looked up, surprised.

"And that's why you're comin' here tomorrow to give _monsieur Essex a cordial _bonjour_."_

**To be continued!**

**PS : The name Remington belongs to Kaleidopy. I didn't find that name, it would be cheating to claim it's mine.**


	11. Nathan

**Note**** : Oooookay. Sorry that took soooo long. I kept sitting in the living room, laptop on my knees, looking at the white sheet entitled "new document" on my screen, wondering how to put into words the images in my head. I fell I rushed this, thought, but it _was supposed to be a ten chapters story at the beginning, so… Now. Maybe some of you will have a déjà-vu feeling while reading this chapter. This might be because I have based some facts on another fanfic I have read on the Internet. Don't worry, I'm not the kind who just steals ideas from others to put it into my stories and get all the credits. I give credit to all writers out there. I just found they ideas interesting, and used it in my plot. Nothing criminal here, I hope. The intention, at least, was never to steal. Please, I'm on my knees, don't call me thief. I'm just doing this for fun._**

**Oooooooh, I'm soooo tired! I really wanted this to be finished today for you, to keep my update-every-day beat. So I did. **

**Disclaimer**** : I do not own Remy nor Rogue nor Sinister aka Nathaniel Essex… I do not own the name Remington, it's Kaleidopy's. Everyone else who's not from the Marvel Universe is mine. That narrows it down to a very few individuals (like the barbarian drunk men in the tavern), but it's nice to know I actual own something in this.**

**Special thanks**** to ishandahalf, Tammy, crazytook and T. for reviewing the last chapter, and also to those who reviewed on the other chapters. I really appreciate it, it helps and gives reasons to continue this story. This actually takes a lot of time since I have to check in my English-French dictionnary all the time and spend precious time looking for mistakes… Your positive commentaries and opinions make it worth it, believe me. It's so exiting checking my email and seeing review alerts from FF.N… And to those who read but don't review, I don't begrudge ;-) I just hope it's not because you're afraid to flame me. Please do, if you feel you have to!**

**Okay, enough of it.**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 11_

_Nathan_

I sat at a table, looking at the ale in my mug. What the hell was I doing here? Remy had sent me here to try to talk to Nathaniel, and my heart was beating wildly. I had been sitting here for a while without seeing him. What had we tought? He didn't seem the kind of man to drink and talk in taverns all day long, like the ones yelling and chanting tuneless songs right now, while looking at me with hungry eyes. I wasn't the only young woman in the place, but I had more teeth in my mouth than all the woman here reunited had, and had by far better health than anyone here. A great family maker, they probably thought.

I shivered at the tought of babies. I had been totally freaked out by the thought of killing that baby's father, for a reason I didn't know. Having myself been in an orphanage, I knew it wasn't the reason for my hesitation. I didn't know why, but something told me that baby had to stay by his father.

My mouth twitched. Babies. Since my powers had revealed themselves, I had never thought of having any. But now… My heart warmed each time I thought of Remy. His smile, these eyes… He could wear an unexpressive mask, a poker face, whenever he needed to. But with me, his eyes carried formidable expression. Love, desire, and recently, fear and jealousy. I felt myself blush. Never in my life I would had thought a man could have rather live in hell than live without me. And now, I found myself loved by a man scared to death of loosing me.

It wasn't malice that had taken him to think I would ever leave him. It was his sense of logic. I sighted. Sure enough, I had thought of what it could be with another man. The possibilities the pill had gave me were numerous, but I could never bring myself to do such a thing as leaving Remy. I just had to think about him, and all other men disapeared. To imagine his warm hands on my body, his smooth lips on mine, on my breasts, on my… I close my eyes, breathless. I certainly wished he could had sensed my feelings right now. It would have taken these silly ideas from his head, all right. I took a deep breath to clear the images in my head, but the heat in the pit of my stomach was still there.  

I finished my ale and rose to leave. Nathaniel would never come. He had other things to do… a baby to take care of. I walked to the door to get out of the atmosphere of the tavern. Fresh air wouldn't hurt. I opened the door and found myself putting my nose in silver buttons and nice smelling shirt. I snapped my head up, unable to speak. He smiled down at me and put a hand on my arm to steady me as I leaned back.

"Well, hullo, my dear. I couldn't dare to hope seeing you again so soon!" He had a nice deep voice, and his deep-blue eyes settled into mine.

"Oh… well… Ah'm happy to see yah too, mister…"

"Essex, dear. But you can just call me Nathan." I gulped. Somehow I had hope we had mistaken… "I see you were heading outside, but I was hoping you would have some time for a drink? A refreshing one…" He added with a smirk on his lips. I was still flushed with my previous thoughts about the Cajun, and blushed even more at Nathan's words.

"Sure, Ah thank yah." He motionned towards a bench under a nearby tree.

"Perhaps we could take it outside, where the air is more breathable." He smiled again and turned inside to buy refreshments, while I walked to the bench. The air was fresher than inside the tavern, but it _was hot, and beads of sweat were forming on my skin in my back and between my breasts. I used a kerchief to wipe my face, wondering how the hell Remy could survive under his dark hooded cloak. As I waited, I began to think about the future. The Professor haden't contacted me since our first day, and that was… what, six days ago? We still had eight full days to end our mission before Gabrielle made us come back into our time._

Our mission. My heart squeezed again as I saw Nathan coming out of the tavern, two mugs of ale in his hands. He seemed so sweet and charming; I broke my heart thinking it was the same man that had tried to kill the X-Men so often, and that had entered our minds in our dreams. Thank God these dreams didn't seem to reach us in these times; I wondered if the others still had them at night, or if they didn't need the protective helmet anymore.

"Well you seem deep in your thoughts, my dear. Am I interrupting some important thinking, or would you have a little place for conversation in that beautiful head of yours?" I smiled. It was like having a conversation with the Beast.

"No, no, please sit down." I took the ale he was handing me and took a large sip. He sat down and looked at me.

"I have told you my name, dear lady, but I do not recall having heard yours, if you think it appropriate to tell me" he said, his eyes intent on me.

"Uh, sure." Certainly Rogue wasn't a good idea. I settled for my real name. "Mah name's Jade." His brows went up. It certainly wasn't a familiar name in these times.

"Well, these lovely eyes of yours certainly deserved such a tribute as a beautiful name like that" he smiled. "I must thank you for granting me the pleasure of your company, miss Jade… Are you here alone, or do you travel with… friends? Family?" He clearly hesitated when he said family. He clearly was interested in me, and I associated that sentence with the famous "you come here alone?" that you could here often in bars in the 20th century. Thank God Remy wasn't near; killing Nathaniel would have happened much sooner, and with a lot more violence. I repressed a smile.

"Actually, no. Ah'm with… a… friend o'mine. We're just stopping by for a few nights."

"Oh… That is too bad." He made a little smile. "I would have liked knowing you better."

We continued our chat for quite a while. I was surprised when I saw the sun was already declining; we had been talking for at least three hours, and I knew nothing of his son. I cast a look at the long, slender hands that gesticulated a little while he talked of his father's work as a lawyer, of his sister, of his mother… He asked few questions to me. He had tried, but getting only evasive answers and questions from me, he had understood my hesitation and resolved on answering my interrogations. He had smooth hands, indoor hands. I caught myself comparing them to Remy's large, warm hands, that could demonstrate great power or excessive delicacy. Nathaniel was looking away while he talked, sometimes looking at me with a smile, carefully not staring. He was charming, but it had nothing to do with Remy's candid talk and fatal smiles and winks… 

"I have a son, Jade."

I started, lost in my thoughts. "You what?" He only had a sad smile.

"I have a son. He's only a few months old. His name is Remington, I named him after my grand-father."

"Oh, well… And his mother?" I felt cruel. But I wasn't supposed to know his wife was dead, after all.

"She died two weeks after Remington was born… We were good friends, she was a good life." There was coldnest in his voice and I glaced up at him, surprised. He turned his head to look at me. His eyes were enlighted with something I couldn't understand. "My son will be the greatest of all, Jade. I'll make sure he is" he said, his voice suddently cold.

I just stared at him, my heart thumping loud. The last words he had said were said with the voice of Sinister. I looked at him with new eyes. Carefull eyes.

"Come with me, Jade. There is something I would like to show you."

***************

"Stupid girl. You shouldn't be here, alone" I thought as we climbed the wooden stairs to the front door of the big house. Nathan gestured me to enter first, and I repressed a shiver seeing the living room in daylight. 

"Follow me" he said, and he unlocked a door, leading obviously to the basement, with a key he put back in a front pocket of his vest. That aroused my curiosity and I followed the glow of his candle as he led me downstairs.

It took my breath away. In the middle of the room laid a big glass tube, an eerie glow around it. Filled with some kind of liquid, it was connected to small wires leading to a plastic box, where thousands of little red lights were flashing. My jaw fell and stayed that way, until I realized that it wasn't the kind of machine you would see in a cottage basement in the end of 18th century.

"Oh, dear Gawd, what in hell is that?" I whispered.

"A cryogenic machine" he answered, talking as low as me. He put a hand on the tube and slowly caressed the green glowing glass. "Apocalypse brought it to me, from the future, for my son." I shivered, hard.

"A… Apocalypse?"

"A beast, a monster, from the future. Telling me only the strongest will survive in centuries to come. His mother was weak, but my son will survive. He'll be the strongest." He turned back to stare at me, blue eyes suddently cold. "Remington will be kept inside until I find out how to make him powerful, it may take years but… he will be the strongest. Undestructible." I stared at him, unbelieving.

"Years? What happens if yah die before yah find out? Yah'll let a baby die in there?" Flush was rising to my face. The sweet Nathaniel I had talked to hours ago was fading, letting place to the monster I knew before.

"I won't die. The Apocalypse will make me immortal. Remington, my Remy, my son, will be powerful, even if it takes centuries to make it so. Jade, I had to tell someone. Why it ended being you I don't know. Something's telling me you should know."

My heart stopped beating, as a cold wave seaped through my veins. No, this couldn't be. It simply couldn't… No. I picked up my skirts and ran up the stairs, out of the house and on the road, running like hell out of there, tears streaming down in my face.

We couldn't kill this man.

**To be continued…**

**Okay. The name Remington I took from a fanfiction writen by Kaleidopy, entitled "The Cold Hearted Truth". I also picked up some elements from the story "Menacant" from BelaLeBeau, but please don't read them before my story is ended, it would be a terrible spoiler…**

**I'm trying to put as much information as I can so you guys can understand where my crooked mind is heading. Although, if you have any questions, don't hesitate, I'll do my best to answer them in the next chapter. Once again, thanks for reviewing!! (*hint, hint*)**


	12. I lost his trust

**Note**** : Well you understood quick what's going on, that saves me a lot of explanation and reassures me on my writing capacities. You want to know how Remy reacts? What? You really think he'll react fine? If you were him… Would you only want to believe it?**

**They're not mine, snif, they're Marvel's. I'm only renting them to a very ridiculous price (but they don't know it yet).**

**Thanks for the reviews again. I wanted to put so much more in that chapter, but… oh well… At least you have something to read. Don't worry though : I'm soooo into this, the next chapter should be up by tomorrow. And peleeeze, don't be scared to flame if you feel like it (constructive critics are always welcomed). Thanks to BelaLeBeau and Kaleidopy for giving me ideas with their stories. And special thanks to my husband for making me see the sun today, for the first time since that story was first published. And thanks to my parents for letting me ruin their English dictionaries.**

**Enjoy ;-)**

_Chapter 12_

_I lost his trust_

I ran into the main street. I had lost my shoes running and I was out of breath, but I had to reach the tavern where we lived to get to Remy. I suddently fell on my knees, face flushed and lungs hurting, and waited for the stars to disapear from before my eyes. I heard footsteps nearby and I snapped my head up, surprised and scared. A shadow was leaning over me, wearing a dark hooded cloak. I sighted with relief when I saw two eyes glow red beneath the hood, but he didn't. He rudely grab my arm and hissed in my ear. "Wher' the _hell_ have ye been, Rogue? You've been gone de whole afternoon and evening! It's almost ten, God dammit! I was worried lik'hell, and I've been looking for ye all night!" His eyes were burning red and he held my arm too tight.

"Lemme go, Remy, yah're hurtin' me." He didn't let go. He dropped his hood down on his back and took my other arm to face me, so I had to look up in order to keep my balance. He opened his mouth, probably to throw me some other menace of some kind, but froze when he saw my face in the moonlight. I was still crying and was flushed with the running. He frowned. "What the hell happened, _chérie_? Did he hurt you?"

"N… no… Oh Remy!" I put my hands on his cheeks and looked at his face. He was clearly wondering what I was doing, but kept silence. His lips were slightly open and the angry red was fading from his face as he calmed down. He _was _hot under the cloak : his skin was shinning with sweat and his hair was damp. He radiated heat. But then I saw it. The smooth line of his jaw, the high cheekbones, although his were covered with a dark six-days beard, the slightly slanted eyes, the neat brows, now drawn together with worry… I moaned. Now that I knew, I saw the ressemblance. "Oh my Gawd…" I murmured, staring into his red glowing eyes. Panic flickered in them as I felt myself go limp in his arms.

"Rogue?" I heard him say from far, far away.

Everything went black.

***************

I woke up in the morning to see the sky beginning to turn to orange as the sun came up. My eyelashes fluttered a bit as my mind began to think again. A room. In a bed. Tavern. Remy. Okay. I turned my head towards the chair near the window, where Remy was sitting, asleep. He was fully dressed, with the exception of his cloak, discarded on the floor. His hands were folded on his stomach and his long legs stretched in front of him. His lean face was relaxed into sleep, the corners of his mouth smirking up. His shoulder-length hair was dishelved and a lock fell on his face. He was deep into sleep ; I could hear his slow, deep breathing from the bed, a few feet away. Watching him, it startled me to think I haven't seen him looking so relaxed since the beginning of our travel. I sat up in bed, still looking at him. We would have things to talk about when we would go back in our time. He heard the rustling of the sheets and popped his eyes open. He made a febble smile and straightened up in the big wooden chair, a slight grimace on his face.

"A chair isn't tha perfect place ta sleep, sugah… Yah should'ha come in tha bed with me."

"I didn't want to disturb y'sleep, _chérie. Especially after y'faint in my arms." I swallowed when he looked at me. "Are ye going to tell me what hapenned, or I'm gonna have to insist?"_

I motionned him to sit beside me, and I talked. I told him about what Nathan had told me under the tree, about his family. Then I told him about the basement. The cryogenic machine. The baby he wants to freeze until he finds a way to make him perfect, undestructible. The promise of eternity Apocalypse had given him. And the true identity of the baby.

"Remy, that baby, it's you." His eyes grew huge.

"The hell it is! Rogue, wherever did you get dat idea?"

"His name is Remy! And… and… Yah look like him. Like Nathan." He really went angry at this.

"Are you mad, Rogue?!" he yelled. "Me, son of Sinister? Damn, Rogue, dis man's my worst nightmar', and he'd be my father? Don't be stupid, Rogue, not because his name's Remy, or Remington, of whatever, that it's me, dammit. They're thousands of Remy's in the world." He was walking around in the room, gesticulating while he talked. I couldn't take my eyes off his hands, moving in the air. Long, slender hands, just like… I gasped.

"Yeah, but not powerful Remys, with energy power and red eyes! Just like Sinister!" His jaw set and he move to face me, his angry eyes inches from mine. I quikly move backwards into the bed.

"I was born in New Orleans, Rogue! Remember dis! In 1976! It's written, black on white, on my birth certificate! I'm 27! Certainly no 210 years old!"

"Yah don't know when yah were born, Remy, neither who were yer parents! As far as yah know, yer were abandonned in an orphanage, before wandering alone in the streets of the French Quarter! This birth certificate could be bullshit, and yah know it!" I stopped dead, seeing his face. Adrenaline had made me go too far. He went pale and I could swear I heard my heart skip a beat. He slowly stood straight and stared into my eyes, no expression into his. He had his Gambit face on, and the red eyes were burning like fire. If I had wanted to hurt him, I did. But I didn't want to, and my eyes filled with tears. "Oh, no, Remy, I didn't…"

"Bullshit? Dat what you think, Rogue?" He slowly said, his voice white with rage. "Bullshit? I… My life would be a lie? You really want to make me believe it? Don't you think I already knew I was a screw up?" His tone was rising dangerously, and flush was rising to his face. "But you had ta tell me, didn't ya? _Merde_, Rogue. _De la merde, dat's what ya think?" He suddently stopped, turned on his heels and headed for the door. He slammed it hard enough for the walls to shake, and I put my face in my hands, crying my heart out, not before noticing the cloak was still lying on the floor. _

**To be continued soon!**


	13. Hurt

**Note : Ha ha! Told you it wouldn't be long. You guys didn't even have the time to review chapter 12!!! I hope you like this as much as I do! Please review! Oh, by the way, in case you haven't guessed, the *……* mean telepathic communication with Xavier.**

**I don't own anything. **

**Thanks to Kaleidopy and BelaLeBeau for giving me ideas on how to end this.**

**Chapter 13, hein? Hope this doesn't bring bad luck to me…**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 13_

_Hurt_

He kept his eyes on the ground while he walked on the main street in St-Johns. He left so quickly that he had forgotten his cloak on the floor in the room. His face flushed as he heard Rogue's words again. How could she? Sinister's son? Sure, why not! And she expected him to believe this? To be happy about what she said? Did she really have to bring up the orphanage and the street living? Why, dammit?

Damn, it hurt him. She had aimed low, and striked. "But she didn't mean it, did she?" said a voice in his head. It didn't mather. It hurt, that was all there was to know. He pressed the palm of his hands on his eyes, hard, as if sheer force could stop the tears from welling from them.

The sun was hurting his eyes, and his vision was blurred with tears. Could it be true? He felt rage well up in him. No. Surely she was wrong, had imagined this somehow…

He lifted his head to meet a iron gate, a big house behind, with the name Essex written on a panel.

Ressemblance, was there?

"We'll see." He thought. It was time to meet that Nathaniel Essex, and see for himself.

***************

*Rogue?*

I snapped my head up from my hands and sniffed. "Professor?"

*Rogue, I am sorry for not contacting you before… Gabrielle was very weak after our last communication, and she had to get some serious rest. Have you reached St-Johns?*

"Uh, yeah, we did."

*Have you found Nathaniel Essex, dear?*

"Yes, we did…" I trailed off. 

*Rogue? Is there something wrong? Is Gambit all right? I still can't contact him.*

"Well, he's probably quite closed on himself, raht now, Professor. We had a fight about Essex and… and his son." Silence in my head.

*What about them?*

"Ah've talked to Nathan, Professor. Ah don't know why, but he has showed me his experiences, and what he means ta do with his son Remington… Professor, Ah'm sure that baby is Remy. Ah'm sure of it." There was a long silence. "Professor?"

*Well, that would certainly explain why Remy is unreachable.*

"Apocalypse has already contacted Essex, Professor. He brought him a cryogenic machine so he can freeze his baby until… until he can make him powerful, as he said. Undestructible."

*Rogue, the situation is critical. You have to find Remy, and destroy Essex before he is transformed into Sinister."

"But Professor… If the baby is never frozen, nor transformed into whatever Essex wants… What happens to Gambit?"

***************

He climbed the stairs and stared at the door, not moving. What the hell was he supposed to do? Kill the man. "Of course I'll do dat. Dat's why we're two hundred years in de past!" he thought. He put his hand on the handle, and the door opened. He heard a yelp inside as a young woman in her late teens stood up and yelled at him.

"Who are you? How dare you enter our house without knocking?"

"I'm sorry, I knocked, but nobody answered…" he lied. The girl's face did change, though, and that's when he noticed the small bundle she had in her arms.

"Oh, in that case…" She hadn't noticed the eyes yet, but as she took a few steps in his direction, he thought she would see them in no time. "You must be here for my…" she trailed off, as her eyes grew huge and her jaw dropped. "Oh my… Dear Holy Mother of Jesus, who _are you?" Her voice contained a hint of hysterics he didn't like._

"Shhhh, please, hush, child… I'm lookin' for Nathaniel. Please."

She didn't seem scared a lot, since he had not grown horns on his head nor goat feet. She gulped hard and showed him the door to the basement. "Nathan spends his days in there… sir. I can't make him come out of there, to eat, to sleep or to feed his son." She squeezed the bundle to her chest, and his heart stopped beating for a second or two. 

"Thank ye, miss." He went to the door under the eye of the girl and began banging on it, and yelled.

"Essex! Open up, man, we gotta talk!"

"Who is this?" said a voice.

"Gambit, Essex. Now ye open up dat door or I do it m'self!"

Suprisingly enough, Remy heard steps walking up the stairs, and the door opened. The man in front of him looked intrigued at first, but his face slowly changed into (?) hapiness as he noticed his eyes.

"Oh, dear Lord, are you from the future too? You were sent to me by Apocalypse?" Remy's eyebrows went up to his hairline.

"Hum, no." He stared at Essex and tried to see what Rogue saw in him that made her think what she had said.* In fact, he did see something familiar in the lean face of the tall man in front of him, but he shook his head. He pushed the man aside and went down the stairs.

***************

I ran throught the gate and entered the house. I arrived in the living room where a girl (the girl from the portrait, Nathan's sister, I could recognize her) clutched a screaming bundle to her chest, eyes wide. The door to the basement was opened, and I ran to the stairs.

The two men were yelling. I flinched when I realized the voices were almost the same. It was only Remy's cajun accent and Nathan's strong English accent that could tell one for another at this time. And Remy's accent was quite more aggressive. Nathan was standing in front of the tube, clutching the plastic box with the flashing lights while Remy was standing in front of him, ready to lunge to him.

"Remy!" I screamed. "Don't destroy anything!"

He turned to look at me, surprised. Nathan suddently put down the box and lunged at Remy. He sensed him, though, and turned around to grab Nathan collar. He threw him against the wall and Nathaniel landed in a crash than shook the wall. I ran down the few steps left, but Remy already had a small wooden box in his hands. The box was glowing a bright red, and I screamed. "Remy, no! Please!"

He threw the charged box.

Nathan yelled and raised his arm to protect his face. A useless protection, my mind had the time to say, but I did so as well. I saw Remy running to me, and squashing me under his weight to protect me.

The box exploded.

I closed my eyes.

* oh my, just too much verbs in there are they?

**To be continued…**


	14. Death of a father

**Note**** : *wink* that _was supposed to be a ten chapters story. Now that's the 14th, and I'm not finished yet. I don't own anything, Marvel does. Thanks to Tammy, who's the only one who had time to review the two last chapters at the time I'm writing this. Thanks for loving it! If you don't, well… don't read! Oh, and sorry for the four letters word. I think it fits the circumstances, though._**

_Chapter 14_

_Death of a father_

Smoke entered my nose, and I coughed, hard, to get rid of the dust in my lungs. Then I opened my eyes. Remy had leaped on me to protect me from the explosion, and his body was still on mine. He was a slim man, but tall, and 180 pounds _were_ beginning to be heavy on my rib cage, and I could hardly breathe. I poked him in the ribs.

"Remy, get off! Ah can't breathe!" I said with what I had left of air in my lungs. He moaned and rolled off onto his back, before sitting up. I got on my feet and looked over to the other side of the room. Nathan was lying on his back, not moving, his face badly burned. I walked to him and kneeled beside the body. I took his wrist. No pulse. No breathing. He was dead.

I stood upright once again, and turned to Remy. He was looking at me, and I could see he was still quite mad at me. He lifted a brow and spread his arms, showing me that he was there alright, his lips silently mouthing the words "See?". I looked down at Nathaniel again. I was so sure… Now what could I say?

"Oh my God! Nathan! O dear, Nathan!" The girl was running down the stairs, tears on her face, the baby crying in her arms. Remy looked at the baby, then switched his glare to me. 

"Come on" he said. "We have to leave dis place."

***************

We had left the town at once, before anyone could hear the news we had killed Nathaniel Essex with supernatural powers. We were now in a forest in the south of England, waiting for the Professor to give a sign, so we could go back before we were hunted down like the outlaws we were. 

Remy sat on a log, staring into the fire, not moving a hair. He was so still, it sent shivers down my spine. He hadn't spoken a word to me since we had left the house. I could easily understand, of course. I had hurt him. Had told him horrible things, reminded him of this childhood he never really had… The worse of it was that I had no reason of doing all this. I was wrong. I balled my hands into fists as a tear ran down my cheek. How could I have been so stupid? All the arguments I had used to try to convince Remy looked useless and ridiculous now. Convince Remy? Why did I ever thought he would react fine? That he would believe such a thing. I was wrong. If Essex was dead and Remy was his son, he wouldn't be in front of me now. He would have disapeared, part of the past, unknown to me and the other X-Men, and died a peacefull death somewhere in the 19th century. If Gambit would have been Sinister's creation, Gambit would have never been. Sinister was never to exist.

I had lost his trust, and I didn't know how to gain it back. The silence he kept was unbearable. I decided I'd rather hear him yell than keep silence.

"Remy…" Nothing. "Remy, Ah'm sorry." Still nothing. "I know you're angry…" A snort. At least he had a reaction to this. "… and yah have good reasons to be. Ah just wanna say I didn't mean the things Ah said, and Ah hope yah can forgive me." Not a sound from him. He just closed his eyes. "Yah were raht, and Ah was wrong. Ah… Ah just panicked, is all. Ah don't have any reasons for having said the things Ah said." Silence fell again, and I sighted. That didn't work well.

He said something under his breath that I didn't catch. "What did yah say?"

"I said, I forgive ye." He didn't even look at me, just stared at the flames.

"The hell yah do. Yah're still angry, Ah can see it" I murmured. He turned his head to me.

"I'm not angry, Rogue. I'm sad, and hurt. By you. Dat's why I won't talk. I'm not angry with you. I'm angry with me. Because all y'said was true, and truth hurts."

I didn't know what to say to that, so I stood up and walked to him. I sat on the ground between him and the fire so we were facing each other, though he didn't look at me. His look went through me and into the flames, and I could see he was somewhere else, in the streets of New Orleans. I slowly raised my hand and put it on his bare arm. It was like touching a high voltage wire. He was tensed and his muscle were hard as rock. He did look at me then, eyes full of tears.

"Am I so bad?" he said, his voice slowly breaking. "Am I dat bullshit you called my life yesterday? Am I dat fucker's son, Rogue?" I did break, then. He went slowly to pieces in my arms while I craddled him and rubbed his back. I let him cry all these hard years, that esteem he never really had for himself since the trial in Antartica, hiding that lack behind a charming smile and a attitude that pissed off Scott oh so often. I had hurt him in more than one way. I had made him think that what he thought of himself, I thought it too.

***************

Janet sobbed. She heard the door slam as the two strangers ran out the house. They had killed him, she knew it. She ran to the body of her brother, the baby in her arms. She fell on her knees and touched his face. He was still hot, but was beginning to stiff. His burned face was white and no breath came out of his lips. She felt a tear run down her cheek, and she squeezed the orphan she had in her arms. Suddently she heard a noise, and she turned round to see a tall dark shape at the foot of the stairs. She gasped.

"Who are you?" she said with a sob. "If you want to kill Nathan, you're too late. He's already dead." She stood up, ready to defend the baby against the monster coming towards her. The dark shape kneeled beside the unmoving body and touched his face.

Nathan's eyes popped open, and he took a sharp breath. His face still was white and it took a marble like texture as his eyes turned slowly red. Janet felt her jaw drop, and she almost dropped the baby when he sat up, clutching his head with both hands. The dark shape turned to her.

"Oh, I do not wish to kill him, dear. I am here to make him live again. Forever."

**To be continued…**


	15. As the snowflakes fall

**Note**** : It is now official ; I have changed my mind about a short story (duh). The title is, after all, Through Time, so it would make sense if this story was long, _non? Let's have some fun. Okay, so I was feeling mushy when I wrote that one… I missed the cuteness between Rogue and Remy, I've had it with their fights! More Sinister to come… later._**

**Special thanks to each of you who review, and to my loyal reviewers, T., Tammy and ishandahalf (I was wondering when you'd review! I was faster than you, dun dun duhhh! Oh and Sinister didn't die, because it would have killed Remy and you would have been soooo mad at me. And I do not want that, no more than you!), for reviewing each and every chapter I come up with. You guys are soooo encouraging! I'm so glad you like it!**

**Enjoy!**

_Chapter 15_

_As the snowflakes fall_

The Professor had contacted us shortly and, learning we had killed Essex, had made Gabrielle bring us back. The return was much harder than the going, though, and the feeling of hitting a wall was even more realistic, and we had both been in a light coma for several days. 

I opened my eyes, emerging from sleep, to find myself still lying on a bed in the med lab. I had awakened from my coma the day before, but Remy hadn't came back yet. I turned my head on the pillow to look at him, to find his eyes were opened, looking at me. He made a wry smile.

"Hey, sugah" I said in a low voice. "How are yah feeling?"

"Like a car wreck… Damn, I'm hurting everywhere." He squinted his eyes, trying to flex his arms. He tried to sit up but laid down again, grimacing.

"Yup, that's right… Ah felt like that yesterday too." I took a deep breath. "Remy, sugah, are yah all right?"

"I've just told…"

"That's not what Ah meant."

He closed his eyes, thinking. "I said I wasn't mad at you anymore, Rogue. And y'know it's true. Why do y'want to bring it on, again and again?"

"Because Ah saw something break in yah, is all, Remy. Ah want yah to be happy, and Ah know yah're not, right now." I sat up. Felling somewhat better than yesterday, and seeing no nausea what attacking my digestive system, I got on my feet and walked to his bed. He looked at me all along, but didn't say anything. I reached to pick his hand but remembered I hadn't taken my pill. I put it on his shoulder instead. He smiled a bit, unsure.

"Ye think ye're Jean, putting me into therapy like dat?"

"Yah would joke on yer deathbed, wouldn't yah? Oh, Remy, Ah'm so sorry Ah was wrong. Ah never wanted to fight yah, never wanted to hurt yah…" Tears were coming to my eyes, but I fought them. His eyes were deep into mine, listening. "Ah just wanted to convice yah, and it looks like Ah was wrong. And yah were right." He closed his eyes.

"I've been feelin'like garbage a long time, Rogue, and being close to ye has always made me forget dat. But when ye yelled dese things at me, _chérie_, I felt like a damn screw up again, even with'ye by m'side."

"Remy, yah're _not_ a screw up, now stop saying that. Yah have to put the trial behind, honey. Everyone's forgived yah, except yaself." I put my hand on his other shoulder and locked my eyes with his. "Ah love yah. The way yah are. Just like that. And yah don't go and change anything about yaself, Gambit, or Ah'll slap yah until yah understand. Comprende?" He smiled for real this time. He closed his eyes and solemnly nodded.

"Comprende."

"Now all that's left for yah to do is get better, while Ah go to mah room and change."

***************

I woke up one morning  to a weird feeling of coziness and silence. I got up, cast a look through the deep blue curtains and restrained a yelp of pleasure. Snow! I turned around and jumped on the bed, almost crushing Remy's chest in the process.

"Hein? Wha? Wazza?" he said, sitting up straight in the bed, eyes half opened.

"It's snowing outside!" I yelled. "Snow!" He mumbled something about some _merde blanche _and laid back down in the bed, putting a pillow on his face to stop hearing my squeaks. Snow didn't fall often, if ever, in Mississippi and I was always delighted to see some. They didn't have much of it either in New Orleans, but Remy couldn't stand the cold. He hated winter. But I wasn't in the mood to discuss anything. I wanted a walk in the woods, with the snowflakes falling in my hair, ending up with a snowball war and a roll up in the snow. Wich usually was followed by a deep kiss and a hot chocolate in front of the fireplace. Cliché? Maybe, but I wanted it. And I said so. It resulted in the apparition of a glaring red eye from under the feather pillow.

"Ye watch too much of dese mushy movies with de other gals, Rogue…" his muffled voice said. "I ain't going rollin' in de snow, we'll be wet all over and catch a cold." The pillow returned over the eye and I sighted. I jumped a few times on the mattress, high enough to make it squeak, and left. I closed the door of the bathroom just in time to avoid receiving the feather pillow in my face.

I got out of the shower and draped a large towel around my body. I was coming out of the bathroom, combing my hair, when a snowball as big as my fist hit the top of my chest. I gasped, then roared when I saw Remy, in jeans and T-shirt, wearing black combat boots and his winter mid-thigh leather jacket, and a diabolical smile on his face – and another snowball in his hand. I yelped and got back into the bathroom, closing the door just in time to hear a loud thump on it, indicating the destruction of the second snowball.

***************

A little snowflake made its way down from the clouds to land on his nose. It tickled and he rubbed his gloved hand on his face to get rid on the sensation. Rogue was almost dancing at his side, making neat boot prints in the snow and turning back to "aaawww" at them. He smiled. If a little snow was all it took for her to be happy, then they'de move in northern Canada in the second. He shivered and put his hands in his pockets. Damn, it was so cold here! He missed the damp, hot temperatures of New Orleans. The Northern states were fine in summer, but he hated cold temperatures. Always had, for as long as he'd known. But for Rogue's face and dashing smile, he'd do everything. Even freeze his ass off in the woods behind the mansion. "Well we're here, might as well try to like it" he thought. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The silence of the surroundings _was_ enjoyable, and the muffled sound of their footsteps was soothing. Suddently he felt a movement behind him and whirled around, but couldn't avoid the snowball Rogue had thrown at him. He rubbed the cold snow from his face with his hands, cursing in French. Rogue giggled and  jumped out of the foot path and into the bushes, and towards the mansion – and a nice warm fireplace, he thought with delight.

He ran to her. With her powers, she could have escaped fast, but she had taken her miracle pill and he ran much faster than her, even in a feet deep of snow. He lunged and landed on her, but she was waiting for it. She screamed with delight when they touched the ground, and she flipped him so she sat on his stomach. His jeans began to be wet with the snow melting under him and it filtered through his scarf, seeping in his back. He was cold. This was a terrible cliché. But he smiled at her.

Her emerald green eyes were bright with delight. Her cheeks were pink with the cold and a cloud of mist was coming out of her slightly opened mouth. She had pinned him on the ground, or pretended to, with her hands on his shoulders. He could have switched the roles easily; he weighted at least fifty pounds more than her. But she radiated joy, he could feel it in his stomach. She was happy. He was too. She smiled, her teeth flashing in the winter sunshine.

"Ah'm cold, let's go inside" she said.

"I love you" he murmured. Her smile widened, if it was possible, and she moved to get off from him.

"Ah love yah too, sugah, but my feet are frozen." He took her arms and flipped her on her back. He put his knees each side of her, and let his weight rest on his elbows, just above her shoulders. His face was not more than an inch from hers, he could feel her hot breathing on his cheeks. She squirmed, a grin on her face. "Have mercy for me, sugah. Ah was serious when Ah said Ah was cold."

"And I was serious when I said I love you." Her smile faded and she looked into his eyes, searching. He locked his eyes in hers.

"Remy? What…"

"Will you marry me, Rogue?"

**To be continued!**


	16. Waiting

**Note : More fluffiness to come! Not mine, though. Well, the fluffiness, yes, but not the characters, sadly. I wish. As for the reviews… Wow. You almost made me cry. You're so nice to me!**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 16_

_Waiting_

I stared out the window, squinting my eyes against the sun. There he was. For a man who hated snow, he sure was spending a lot of time outside. Hands in his pockets, he was pacing in the small park behind the mansion, walking wide strides, his nose in the air… probably frozen to the bones. I saw Logan coming towards him, walking with him. I sighted with relief. Someone had to bring him inside before we got ourselves a second Iceman.

I hadn't answered his question. I had simply pushed him away and had walked to the mansion. He didn't come inside after me, just went on walking.

He had been outside for five hours, with wet jeans and water in his boots. He was going to get a hell of a cold. He was now arguing with Logan and I held my breath. No. Logan came back alone, stumping angrily towards the mansion. Now _he was going to tell Ororo, for sure._

Sure enough, she knocked on my door a few minutes later.

"Come in, Ro."

"Hello, my dear." She came by my side and put a hand on my shoulder. I turned to meet her face. "I'm sorry, but you will have to give Remy an answer, because I'm afraid you are the only one who can bring him back inside."

"Ah'm scared, Ro." Her blue stare met my eyes.

"Scared of what? Of getting married?"

"No… Ah'm scared it'll change. What we are. What we have together. Ah liked it just the way it was." Ororo was silent a few seconds.

"Oh well… I'm afraid nothing can be done about that, Rogue. Marriage can change people, but the marriages I've witness had brough only hapiness, unless it was with the wrong person."

"No, no, that's not the problem, Ro…"

"I know Rogue. What has to change will change and what was said, was said. He has proposed to you, whether you wanted him to or not, and he's freezing outside, waiting for an answer. But know one thing. I know many couples happy in their marriage, but I know none who have survived a refused proposal… Please think about it." She squeezed my shoulder. "At least convince him to come inside." She left the room, leaving me staring out the window.

***************

He sat on a log and sighted. He shouldn't have yelled at Logan, he was tying to help. But he wouldn't come inside until Rogue gave him a sign. He wasn't going to act like nothing happened and just smile at everyone. These times were history. Now she was going to face him, and talk to him, instead of just running away.

He had meant it. It wasn't planned, it had just came out of his mouth, but he had meant it with all of his heart.

Surely she would say yes. It was going to happen one day or another. She would say yes.

Surely.

He sighted, remembering the face she had made when he had asked her to marry him. Shock. Surprise. But no more joy. Just damn shock.

She would say no. She wasn't ready. She didn't want him to propose.

What did she want? An endless sex relationship? His fists balled at his sides. They had more than that. He surely wanted more than that. He wanted life. And dammit, he wanted kids. He smiled, thinking what he would have thought of himself a few years ago. He was once against commitment, flying from a woman to another like a bee. But now…

He wanted that commitment. Needed it. He wanted his life to have sense. 

He wanted his life to be Rogue's, and hers to be his.

She would probably say no. And if she did, he'd have to live with it.

But maybe she would say yes.

He leaned against a tree, sighted, crossed his arms, and waited.

***************

It wasn't very long before he heards footsteps in the snow, coming towards him. He lifted his head to meet Rogue's eyes, stand a few feet from him. She crouched in front of him, and put her hands on his knees.

"Ah'm sorry Ah ran away. Yah must be freezing." He couldn't help a (frozen) snort.

"Y'have no idea." He didn't either until that moment, and he noticed his teeth were chattering.

"Come inside, we'll talk."

"_Non_. We talk, here, now, Rogue. I'm not goin'inside 'til I hav an answer. Please." He was pleading, he knew it, but he had to know. She deeply sighted and sat in the snow. She knew it could take a while; she had put on some nylon pants, he noticed. He didn't know whether to smile or cry at that sight.

"Ah talked to Ro. And… Ah love yah, Remy, but Ah'm afraid of loosing what we've got. Ah don't want anything to change, Ah like it the way it is." He stiffened. That hadn't begun very well. Her hands gripped harder on his knees, and he braced himself for the worse. "But Ah know Ah'm sure Ah'll loose yah if Ah say no. And Ah want to marry yah, despite the surprise yah gave me. So yes." He just blink and stared at her.

"Yes?" he said, unbelieving. Did she just say yes? She rolled her eyes, sighting loudly.

"Yes, Remy! _Si_! _Da_! _Oui, monsieur! How do yah want it?"_

"Oh, Rogue!" He stood up and took her in his arms, lifting her from the ground and squeezing her waist tight. She let out a yelp of surprise, but soon put her arms around his neck. He was still cold, but he didn't care, as long a she wanted him.

She did.

She had said yes.

**To be continued!**


	17. A nice way to wake up

**Note**** : Okay, now that chapter woke me up at ****12:30**, I had to get up and start up my computer to write it down in order to get some sleep. So I wrote. The problem is, I'm not tired anymore! Oh well, I certainly won't sleep here, might as well go lie down. **yawn**  Oh, the characters aren't mine, they are Marvel's. I _do_ get paid for this: your reviews are wonderful, and I can't wait getting on my computer tomorrow (maybe I should say later… bah, forget it) to see what you told me! Thanks for being so supportive!****

**Enjoy!**

_Chapter 17_

_A nice way to wake up_

I raised a hand and looked at the diamond on my hand, glowing white, blue and gray in the moonlight. I had been looking at it since this afternoon, when Remy had given it to me. In fact, it wasn't on my finger for three seconds and all of the other girls had seen it, except me. I smiled. My heart was beating wildly since yesterday, when Remy had proposed, and I could always hear it when everything was silent. How could I ever have hesitated? This is all I ever wanted, I just never even thought it _would happen to me. I had panicked. Remy stirred in his sleep, turning to fit his stomach on my back, spoon-style, and putting an arm around my waist. He put his face in the hollow of my neck and sighted deeply as he fell back into deep sleep. I closed my eyes, content._

I couldn't fall asleep, though. We had put on some additional blankets on the bed, and having Remy's body close to mine was like sleeping next to a cast-iron radiator. An hour later, I was still staring out the window, sweating. The curtains weren't completely pulled and let in some light through a crack, and I could see big fluffy snowflakes silently falling outside. The sky was a clear gray despite the late hour, and I could almost clearly see in the room. I flipped over and huddled close into Remy's arms. He didn't even move, and his breath was deep and regular. A few locks of his shoulder-length auburn hair were falling down on his face, gently stirring under his breath. I reached up with my hand and gently pulled them back to look at him. With his features relaxed and a light smile on his lips, he looked so peaceful my heart gave a squeeze. I put my nose in the hollow of his neck, closing my eyes. He smelled good, a mix of light sweat, lavender scented soap and shampoo, and the light spicy smell of his after shave.

After shave? I suddently opened my eyes and put a light hand on his smooth cheek. He _had_ shaved, probably just before coming to sleep. I pouted, disapointed. When Remy shaved just before going to bed, it wasn't to spare the pillows. He had probably wanted me, and I had fallen asleep in the ten minutes between the moment I came in bed, and the moment he did, only to wake up a few minutes after _he had fallen asleep. I smiled. _

I gently let my hand run down from his cheek. I put my arm around his chest, letting my hand continue its quest on the smooth skin of his back. I gently kissed his chest, hearing the beating of his heart slowly accelerating as he came to a state of half-consciousness. My hand went down a little further, almost not touching, cupping his round buttocks, running in the hairs on his thigh, going upwards again. He took a sharp intake of breath when I touched him with my always cold hands, and the arm and hand in my back tightened a bit. He groaned, now fully awake, when my caress went further. His hand left my back and came under my chin, lifting it so his mouth met mine. My lips parted instantly and his tongue touched my lips, searching my tongue, while he raised his body and came over mine, taking both my arms and putting them over my head, pinning me under him, his weight resting on his elbows. The kiss deepened as his left hand went down while the other grabbed one of my hands, twinning his fingers with mine. I raised an arm and entwinned my fingers in his dishelved locks, and I arched my back, inviting him. He understood the invitation and entered me slowly, burrying his head in the hollow of my neck, while I told him I loved him in all ways possible, gripping the powerful shoulders of my lover, whispering his name in his ear over and over again, as powerful waves came from my womb and into my veins to take me over and turn me into a living sensation.

***************

He gently closed the bedroom door behind him and smiled at the corridor. He had been smiling at everything these last few days. Even Scott had been granted with a large and sincere grin last night at supper, and he had gave Remy a smile of his own in return. Remy had been surprised to see how much the Cykes' features were enlighted when he smiled, and had promised himself to make the guy smile, once and awhile, instead of making him yell at him. Not that it wasn't fun anymore… He would just do it less often. He smiled at the staircase, and rushed down for breakfast. Entering the kitchen, he bumped into a grouchy Logan, and noticed the large black circles under his eyes.

"Hey Logan, didn't sleep well?"

"In case you haven't noticed, Gumbo, my room's right next to yours. I haven't had a decent night' sleep for a few days." His cold blue stare looked directly into Remy's, but he could swear he saw a flicker of humor in the wolf's eyes. He shrugged.

"What d'y'want me to do, Logan?"

"Sleep, Gumbo. A good night' sleep wouldn't do you any harm, either." Remy smiled to Logan, and heard a giggle. He turned to see Jubilee, putting a generous dose of mapple syrup and cream in a bowl full of strawberries.

"Well dat's what I call a good breakfast, Jubes. Ye're gonna gain some weight if ye eat like dat every morning" he said to her (with a smile, of course). She smiled back and opened her mouth to reply when someone else came in the kitchen. Remy looked over his shoulder and met Xavier's eyes.

"Oh, hello, Professor."

"Good morning, Remy, Jubilee" he greeted, noding to Jubilee, who noded in return. "Remy, I would like it if you and Rogue came into my office sometime this morning. We have a subject of most important manner to talk about."

**To be continued!**

**Sweet dreams everyone!**


	18. Pas de nouvelle, mauvaises nouvelles

**Note**** : Here I am again. Hope you still like it even if the action is low a bit right now. You'll guess something is going to happen, though, but I still don't know what yet… Hum. Thanks for the reviews again, though I'm feelling like I'm putting out these chapters too fast for you! What? You want me to slow down? No problem, me can do… Nope, not mine, Marvel's. All of them, yup.**

**Enjoy!**

_Chapter 18_

_Pas de nouvelles… Mauvaises nouvelles *_

Remy sat in one of the leather arm-chairs in the Professor's study, sighting quite loudly as the old chair squeaked under his weight. He streched his long legs before in and leaned back. He winked at me and smile, nodding towards the window. The sky was a deep blue and the sun was already up in the sky. It was almost noon, and there was no need to look at the thermometer to tell the air was crispy cold outside. It wasn't only the cold, though : it had snowed all night, and the Professor had asked us to come into his study at 11:30, so we were missing the shoveling task everybody was at outside. No wonder Remy was smiling. 

The Professor wasn't there yet, though, and we just sat silently. Remy chuckled and turned to me.

"Did I dream what hapened last night?" I smiled at him.

"What happened last night?" His face went blank, and I laughed. "Well, yah're gonna have to give me yar definition of a dream, sugah... 'cause Ah dreamed, alright." He grinned and started to reply, probably wanting to give me his definition of a dream himself, but the Professor chose this moment to come inside. He hovered to the window and looked at the others fighting in the snow, throwing snowballs and yelling their lungs off, generaly having fun instead of shoveling the two feet of snow that covered the path to the mansion entrance. He sighted deeply and turned to us.

"Before I tell you anything, I want you to know that you haven't done this for nothing." My look crossed Remy's. What was he talking about? "I have had news. Nathaniel Essex has somehow survived, my friends. Sinister is alive."

Remy turned into a statue next to me. I could hear that he had stopped breathing, and when I cast a look at him, I could see that his face was white as the snow covering everything outside. Then he took a deep intake of breath and stood up. He began pacing the study, two sets of eyes intent on him, as I could almost hear him thinking.

"Dat's impossible. I killed him" he murmured, snapping each of his words.

"Apocalypse must have saved him… We will never know. Remy... You know that could mean a lot of things." His head snapped up and he stared at the Professor.

"Whatever d'ye mean by dat?" His voice was cold and shaky. That was a rethorical question. We all knew what he was talking about.

"I mean we are going to have to do some further researches on your past, Remy. And find out where you really come from."

Past. I knew the formula "researches" + "past" didn't end in a good result in Remy's head. I could feel him slam down all doors to his mind, and his jaw set hard. I recognized then a very pigheaded and stubborn Remy, and knew what would follow next wouldn't be easy.

"_Non_" he just said.

"Remy..." I flinched and hissed a bit, hearing the Professor insisting. Not a good idea.

"_NON_!" Remy yelled. "I don't wanna know! I don't _need_ to know, dammit!" He walked the few steps that separated him from the desk and leaned over to the Professor, his hands flat on the varnished wood. "I already have a father, Charles, his name's Jean-Luc. De one and only father I really had. Y'know what I did last night? I called him, to tell him Rogue and me were gettin'married, and he said he was happy for me. That he'd come to the marriage. He _cares_ fo'me! Cared fo'me for as long as I remember! And I certainly don't need to know if the sonnavabitch of Sinister, for whom I almost  ruined m'life, is m'biological father or not! And I don't care!" He left the room, slamming the door, and I sighted deeply. I had tried to tell this to Remy when we were in the past and it hadn't worked well. There was no reason why it should have been easier for the Professor. I took a deep breathh and nodded to the Professor, before, heading out the door in search of Remy. I hoped I wouldn't have to go get him in the woods outside, again.

***************

I found him in his bedroom, sitting on the floor. Many drawers were opened and a carton box layed on the floor, papers discarded all over the place. He was sitting cross-legged, papers in front of him. He was smoothing one of them, a crumbled piece of paper, and put it back into a plastic pocket to protect it, rather too late, I thought. He lifted his head when he heard the door opening, and made a shy smile. At least he didn't look mad anymore. 

"I kinda freaked out in de study, I'm sorry" he softly said. I dismissed the manner with my hand, walking over to him, careful not to step on the papers on the floor.

"What happened here? Storm got angry?" He chuckled.

"_Non_. I was searching for m'birth certificate." He sighted deeply. "I could have sweared I had it, but I only found dese" he said, gesturing to the two sets of sheets in front of him. I got on my knees and picked the protected one. I saw the logo of the Regional Medical Center for Children**, the Children's hospital, in New Orleans. I looked up at him. "Dat's kind of a certificate, but of my birth date. It's not an official document, too easy to falsify." I looked back at the sheet. January 12th , 1975***, Louisianna. Well _that_ was a specific place to be born. At least we knew it wasn't at the Children's Hospital. I put the document down and took the other one. It was more recent, and bore a highly styled signature I couldn't read at the bottom. It also had a date : June 19th, 1986. I could read the words "Adoption form – duplicata" at the top, and gently smiled. Knowing that, I could make out the signature at the bottom. Jean-Luc LeBeau. Remy gently took it from my hands and put it back in front of him on the floor. "Dat'll be my real birth certificate for me. When Jean-Luc gave me a family." He sighted. "Remember you told me my birth certificate could be bullshit?" I blushed, but he didn't look angry. He took the first sheet and stared at it. "Y'were right, it isn't even an official one." He sighted and leaned back on the wall, closing his eyes. "For all I know, I could have been born in 1765 and put in a freezer until abandonned in the Children's Hospital in 1965. But I sure hope not."

***************

She had helped him clean off the mess he had made with the papers, and left to help with the diner. He closed his drawers and put the box back into place. Turning back to the door, he paused, thinking.

Researches on his past.

He shivered. He hated almost everything about his past. His mistakes. The street living. Pickpocketing on the _Quartier Français. Researches? Relive all of this? He hadn't got the easiest of lives, but he felt like he was finally having a grip on it right now._

Go back in his head?

He opened to door and started towards the kitchen. Then he stopped, shook his head and headed for the Professor's study. 

It wouldn't be easy.

He didn't really _want _to know.

But he had to.

**To be continued…**

* Traduction : No news, bad news. There's a motto in Québec that says "_pas de nouvelle, bonnes nouvelles_" (no news, good news), which means that if you don't have news from someone, then it must be because everything is fine. I don't personally think it's true, though. 

** It really exists, by the way.

*** Most of the sites I've visited in order to get a birthdate gave 1962 as Gambit's year of birth. Now in 2003, he'd be 41… Nope, too old. Had to make him younger. Let's say he's 28. A grown up adult, still, but much more yummy.


	19. Men talk

**Note**** : Okay, I know this one is short. Don't worry, the next chapter is already almost finished, just let me a few hours to finish it up and find my mistakes, and check my grammar… And I promise it'll be longer!!**

**The characters you see here aren't mine. They belong to Marvel, and they won't sell it to me. Pfft. Keep them! I'll find another way to earn my living and give food to my poor hungry cats.**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 19_

_Men talk_

He knocked on the closed door, and waited. 

"Come in, Remy."

He slowly opened the door without a sound and came into the study again. The Professor lifted his head from the book he was reading, and motionned to an arm-chair again. Remy sighted and sat. He leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and looking at Xavier. "I'm sorry I yelled at y'. Didn't mean to look mad… but…" Xavier raised a hand and gently smiled.

"I think I can understand that, Remy. I would have been surprised if you hadn't reacted like you did."

"I don't have any birth certificate." Remy said abruptly. Xavier kept silent, watching him. Remy just stared at his hands. "I can't believe dis is happening… and I can't change it, but I don't want it. Dat's what's makin'me mad." Xavier sighted and hovered next to the chair. He put a hand on Remy's shoulder so he looked up at him.

"Remy… You have incredible powers already, and you aren't even at your full force. What you could do with these powers in full force, what could happen if you weren't on our side… is frightening. If you are the baby you both saw in the past, then I'm afraid you were… changed, transformed for a reason."

"He told Rogue he wanted his son to be a winner, powerful… undestructible. Xav, I'm not undestructible… far from it."

"Like I said, we don't know the extent of your powers. For Essex to have wanted this for is son… I'm afraid he won't be letting you wander around very long. You were meant for a reason, and I think he'll be coming back for you, one day or another."

Remy's face went blank. He hadn't thought of it this way… but it made sense. To work years to create a powerful mutant, and to let him work for the enemy… wasn't Essex's style. He draw his brows. "I'm not a kid, Xav. I can't jus'be… picked up after school. What's he gonna do? Kidnap me?" Xavier couldn't repress a wry smile.

"I'm afraid we'll know the day he tries. As far as we know, all we are talking about is nothing but hypothesis, and nothing could happen. You _could_ have been born in a hospital in New Orleans in 1965, Remy. We can only try to proove that you _were born that date, but I'm afraid we'll never be able to proove that you were _not_. Research in the birth records can tell a lot, and it can tell nothing."_

"Are we keeping dis a secret?"

"Until we find something, I suggest it stays between you, Rogue and me. But it is your decision, Remy. I wont stop you from telling someone you trust." Remy silently nodded, and rose.

"Thank you, Professor." Xavier nodded him, and he left the room.

***************

He went ouside and strolled in the small park behind the mansion. He was wearing a little more clothing this time. The temperature was still going down, even with the sun shinning down, making the snow a blinding white, and it must have been at least minus 30 celcius out there, and the wind was blowing quite hard. He pulled up his scarf, and head for the shelter of the trees. He suddently stopped dead, hearing a sound. He turned back and leaned down on a small leafless bush, listening. There it was. He lifted the branches and smiled. 

"What are'y doin' dere! Poor baby, come here."

He took off one of his gloves with his teeth and held out his hand. The tiny kitten streched his neck as far as he could without moving the rest of his body, sniffed the unknown fingers, and licked them. Finding no milk, it looked at Remy's face and howled with hunger. Remy gently pet the shaking frozen kitten between the tiny ears and slowly picked it up. Feeling no fangs entering his flesh, he smiled and put the purring thing into his coat, and head back to the mansion.

***************

The little cat was purring with exctasy, sneezing occasionaly as warm milk entered its nose when it pushed its head too far in the bowl. Remy leaned on the counter on his elbows, smiling. He had never had cats, but he had to say this one was hearthbreaking. The little thing had a black back and tail, and a white tummy, white paws and face, with a small black patch on its nose and on its chest, like a small bib. The kitten raised his head and looked up at Remy, black on blue eyes staring at red on black ones. The thing couldn't be more than a few weeks old, he thought, it was smaller than the palm of his hand and couldn't weight more than half a pound. It had big black ears pointing up and its paws looked huge compared to the rest of the tiny body. 

Ororo came into the kitchen, and froze seeing the cat. Then she smiled, and walked to the counter were the cat was now rubbing against Remy's arms.

"Where did you find that little darling?"

"Outside, under a bush. De thing was freezin' and I don't think it has eatin' in a long time."

"Ooooh, poor thing!" She held out a hand and gently pet the cat's head. Despite the delicateness of the caress, the tiny head bobbed up and down under the hand pressure, but the cat closed his eyes and rubbed his golf ball sized head against Ororo's hand. "It's so cute, Remy. We've never had any animals here… I wonder why."

"I think it's 'cause we're a lot here… pets are supposed to keep company, but we're a many in the mansion. Never boring."

"Are you going to keep it?" Remy looked at the cat that was now heading for his shirt, clearly intending to climb it. Remy grimaced as the tiny claws nailed in his skin, and picked it up by the scruff, looking in the half closed eyes of the never stopping burring machine. It curled into a ball and Remy put it into the crook of his arms, petting the small black back.

"I can hardly leave it to die in the cold." Ororo smiled.

"Great. Logan's going to love it, I'm sure" she said ironically. Remy laughed. War was to come between the cat and the dog.

**To be continued…**


	20. Mine

**Note**** : Wow. I'd never thought it would go as far as this. Those reviews are incredible, I even got threathened to be tracked down and shot point blank if I didn't write another chapter. Well… you're putting a little pressure on me, now! Here it is… take it, don't shoot, please. So far almost twenty persons have reviewed the story (17 to be exact. Yes, I count… this is sooooo exciting), some of you almost every single chapter I have written… You guys are great. Please continue. In exchange, I'll write more. Hope you like the cat. **

**These characters aren't mine, they are Marvel's. Believe me, I ain't making a single cent with this. And if I was, I wouldn't tell you.**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 20_**(I can't believe it. 20 chapters in two weeks!)__**

_Mine_

I looked in the mirror. The silk fit me like a glove and did a nice whushing sound each time I turned around, and I felt the crinoline brush against my legs. The dress was ivory and was handworked all over. Jean, Ororo and Jubilee had insisted on doing the dress, they had worked on it day and night for the last weeks. The dress was a lign A with thin spagetti strap covered in light ivory pearls. They must have put at least three millions pearls on the thing, and it looked georgous. Enough to make Remy's jaw drop, I thought wth a smile. This kind of dress was to be worn with gloves, but I had absolutely refused to wear the satin things that layed on the bed along with the veil, next to Remy's black and white cat, curled in a ball on a pillow. I had worn gloves for too long, I would not have them on the day of my marriage. I layed my hands to smooth the soft fabric on my stomach. The corset was tight, but I had gotten used to it in half an hour and the breathless feeling had subsided. I couldn't bend over though, and I looked at my sandals with little despair. How was I to put these on? I'd need help, but help was nowhere. Oh well, it could wait. I had an ear-wide smile on my face, and my eyes had stars in them twenty four hours a day. Especially today. I had never been so happy in my whole life. I was getting married with the man of my life.

He was now mine, and I was his.

I smiled, and my teeth showed white in the mirror. He was probably bitting his nails of his hands right now, he had been a pain in the ass for everyone living in the mansion for the last few days. I walked  to the bed and pet the cat. The monster had gained at least eight pounds in the first seven months of his life, and ate enough to gain another ten in the following year. The poor thing had never had another name than Thing, Tux, _Minou_* and Flea-Bag, the two last names being the ones Remy and Logan gave him. I smiled, happy it wasn't true. Thing slept in the bed with us each night. I liked cats. Not fleas. The door cracked open behind me and I looked at the visitor in the mirror. Scott was there, his dark red ruby glasses a startling match with his burgondy tie and the small dark rosebud pinned on his black jacket. He made a wide grin, seeing me.

"You look beautiful, Rogue" he said.

"Thank yah, Scott… While yah're here, maybe yah could give me a hand with mah sandals? Ah just can't bend to pick them up, let alone tie them on my ankles." His grin turned in a rogue smile.

"Sure." I sat in the arms chair and he knelt in front of me. He put down a small box on the floor before taking the sandals, and I put my left foot for him to put the sandal on. I nodded towards the little dark green box.

"Waz that?"

"Oh, a little something Remy has asked me to bring to you. It's bad luck to see the bride before the ceremony, but he bought it yertesday when you and the girls were out. He wanted you to have it just before the ceremony." I cast a look at the alarm on the night stand, it was two o'clock. Half an hour. Scott tied the second sandal and looked up. He smiled. "I'm really happy for you guys, Rogue." I smiled back.

"Thanks." He gave me a hand to help me up while I fought with the damn corset. He bent to take the box and gave it to me. Then he pulled me in his arms and gave me hug, and I gave him back. He looked down at me, a light smile on his lips.

"Don't be late, it'll kill him. I've never seen Gambit so nervous. Kinda think of it, I've never seen him nervous at all!"

"Well, I'm a bit nervous mahself…" I managed a smile. "But we'll be both fine in a couple'o hours."

In a couple of hours, I would be married. My heart skipped a beat again, them resumed at a high speed rhythm that had been a normal one for the last few days. Scott slightly bowed, and left, closing the door again. I tried to sigh, but the corset prevented me to do so. I looked out the window to see two shinny black cars passing the gate, white ribbons on the antennas. I smiled. The LeBeau's had finally arrived. I looked down at the green box in my hands, and slowly opened it. A small gasp escaped from my lips, and tears came to my eyes. I panicked, squeezing my eyes shut to fight them back. This was not the time to waste my makeup, Ororo would kill me. I looked back down a the small golden chain laying on the velvet case. A delicate pendant hung from it. A dark emerald, circled with small ivory pearls, along with tiny diamond pins. It was beautiful. I took off the pearl necklace I wore and clipped the chain in my neck. I settle nicely and caught the light with a nice green gleam. It matched the light in my eyes. Perfect.

***************

His fingers twitched again. He was so nervous his stomach clenched each time he draw a breath, and he cast a look around him. People were talking in the spring sun, slowly sitting down on the terrasse chairs aligned in front of him. He turned around and met Logan's eyes. He winked at him, and Remy smiled in answer. He nervously tapped his fingers against his thigh, a bit worried. The ceremony was to begin in fifteen minutes and his father wasn't there yet. "He can't miss dat" he thought. "He couldn't." He was so deep in his thoughts he didn't feel someone coming behind him. He leaped like a toad when a hand landed on his shoulders. He spinned round, and had the time to see pale gray-blue eyes before strong arms came around his chest and squeezed him thight. He laughed. "Henri! _Vous êtes arrivés, enfin!**" He hugged hard his brother before letting him go, and, turning, met the same pair of eyes, though circled with light wrinkles that deepened when the man smiled._

"_Je suis tellement content de te voir,*** Remy." Jean-Luc opened his arms and hugged Remy thight. Remy closed his eyes, recognizing the familiar scent of his father's cologne, the first scent that had ever meant security for him. They held each other a while, simply enjoying each other's presence. Remy hadn't seen his father for ten years, when he had fled after the desaster that had followed his marriage with Bella. They had talked many times over the phone, and his father wrote to him often, but he deeply missed the man._

He drew back from Jean-Luc and crossed Xavier's look. He smiled at the man. The researches had brought nothing, and they had been looking for months, searching into the birth records of the whole Louisianna state. If he was born in 1965, it wasn't in Louisianna. But where? he asked himself. Or would the question be… when? He didn't know. There was no way to know. He wasn't certainly going to ask Sinister. Maybe he would never know. He shook his head, and looked away. It didn't matter anymore. He smoothed the fabric of his black jacket, and looked up when the music began and everybody stood up.

**To be continued…**

* Kitty

** You arrived, finally!

*** I'm so happy to see you.


	21. Drunk

**Note**** : The celebration of a marriage is a beautiful thing to witness, but not an easy thing to write. So I jumped to the most important part: after the celebration. And don't worry, I never had the intention of ending this into disaster, even if the thought crossed my mind a few times. It could have been easy, but it just seemed a too cruel thing to do to them, they've been through so much already… Now the way this chapter is written may look weird, but I focused on the feelings of our two favorites, instead of just describing what was happening. And as for the end of this chapter… well, you really thought Sinister would let go so easily? The characters aren't mine (as if I haven't said it enough already), they belong to Warner Brothers. Duh.**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 21_

_Drunk_

As he cupped her face and bent to kiss her mouth, he searched for the word that could describe what he was feeling right now. Stunned? Happy? Yes, of course, but he was looking for something else. There was nothing but blur around him and the woman he held in his arms. If he ever let her go, he would stumble and fall to the ground, he knew it. He barely heard the whoops and the whistles of the people around him; they were only two persons in his universe right now. His head was spinning with a mix of stress and unlimited joy, and he felt drunk.

That was the word. Completely drunk. With love. With Rogue. With happiness. It couldn't get better.

Rogue. Jade. Emerald eyes. He could never have enough of it.

She broke free of the kiss and drew a deep breath, and he noticed they had been kissing quite a while, and the whistles were getting louder. He was out of breath himself, but felt the break of the kiss like a withdrawal, and he wanted more.

Drunk indeed. He was quikly becoming roguaholic, and he didn't want any desintoxication from that kind of dependance. His eyes met Rogue's and he could see she felt the same. The green eyes were covered by a light mist of desire, and he knew she wanted more. It wasn't in the conventions… but to hell with the conventions! This was his marriage, and he did what he want, no? He grinned at her, and took her mouth again, holding his wife against his body.

***************

I was terribly aware of Remy's body near mine during supper. The champagne was feeding a warm fire in the pit of my stomach, and the images were blurring whenever I blinked too hard. I felt like living in a bubble, looking at people that were living in a parallel world. 

Then the lights dimmed, and the music began. Remy took me by the hand and led me to the dancing floor. He put his arm around my waist and I layed my cheek on his chest. I closed my eyes, letting the music carry my soul, and Remy lead the dance. He had bent his head and his mouth was gently touching the top of my head, his breath tingling in my ear. I placed both of my hands on his chest and he tightened his hold on my body, bending down a bit more to put light kisses on my forehead and temple. A long shiver came up my spine and I sighted. I felt drunk. I probably was, but there was something else. As I held on tight to Remy's jacket, I felt like I was holding on my life. If one of us would let go, the other one would fall. We weren't two anymore. We were one, each other's half, linked forever with more than the bonds of marriage.

***************

He sat down on a chair, panting, as the quick rhythm faded to another. He had unbuttoned his shirt a few inches, and rolled his sleeves up to the elbow. He stared at the dancers a while, then turned his head to look at me, as if drawn by my glaze upon him. Our eyes met, and what Henri was telling me faded to a light burr while I lost myself in the red stare Remy was giving me from the other side of the room. The burning embers winked and nodded at something at my side, and I woke out of my reverie to look up at Henri's face, grinning.

"Ye're not a very good listener when it comes t'my brother, _chère_! I think I'll just to someone who listens, eh?" He smiled again, and turned to speak to a more talkative person to his left. I blushed, and walked towards the object of my attention. He was talking to somebody, a tall red-haired man with a red beard and a charming smile under smart blue eyes. Émile, I remembered. "_Bonjour, Rogue" the man said. He kissed the back of my hand in greeting, and turned back to Remy with a wink. It seemed everybody was winking at us since the beginning of the afternoon. "_Je vous laisse, je te parlerai plus tard, mon frère_*." After a brief smile he left us, and I turned back to Remy to meet a burning look. He stepped forward, smiling, and raised his arm, gently touching my cheek. I closed my eyes as a deep shiver ran down my spine, and felt him bent to whisper in my ear : " S'not dat I don't love m'family, but I can't wait fo'them to leave." I opened my eyes, I was feeling quite the same. I stared at the fire in his eyes. _

"We haven't even cut the cake yet, they won't let us run away from them." 

"Then I'll wait. But I can't guarantee… You're the air I breathe, Rogue, I feel like I'm gonna choke each time your body's awa'from mine." He move closer in illustration, and I put my arms around his waist, looking up. The smile slowly left my face as I looked at him. My heart squeezed as I felt my eyes water.

"Ah love yah so much it hurts, Remy. Ah've never though my heart could break like that each time Ah look at a man." His eyes softened, and he sighted. His arms squeezed a little more, and he rested his chin on the top of my head. Even with my high heels sandals, he still was almost a head above mine. We stayed that way a while, his heart softly beating against my ear. I was happy, that was all there was to know.

***************

He was lying on the floor, it was cold and it hurt his back. Everything was dark, he couldn't see a thing. His space awareness wasn't working, but he could tell he was not alone. He tried to get up, but couldn't move. He panicked, trying frantically to move, but every limb of his body was limp, as if he were unconscious. That would explain why he wasn't able to see anything, but he kept wondering what he was doing there. Then a small light appeared, and a shadow came across it. He squinted his eyes, trying to figure out who it was, as fear slowly crept along his spine, settling in his heart. Then he saw the red eyes glowing, and a white hand reaching down. He screamed.

***************

He sat up in bed, panting, skin gleaming with sweat. The black and white Thing raised its head with sleepy eyes and looked at him with an accusing look, as if it was a crime to wake him up in the middle of the night. Remy gasped for breath, looking everywhere, trying to separate the dream from reality. He raised his hands and put his face into it, moaning lightly as a growing headache blasted through his brain. He cast a look at Rogue, sleeping soundly beside him, her face turned towards him, lips opened as her deep breath raised her chest. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. A purring sound came from beneath his head and he looked down at the giant cat Thing was beginning to grow into, raising questionning eyes to him, sitting between his legs. "Incredible how these things know when you're not feeling okay" he thought, and he took the cat in his arms. He layed back in the bed, the cat slumbering on his chest, head between its white paws, but he knew he clearly wasn't going back to sleep. He would have to go see the Professor, he knew it. It wasn't the same as the dreams they had before the travel in the past, he thought. This one was different.

This one was only meant for him.

**To be continued…**

* I'll leave you two alone, I'll talk to you later, brother."


	22. Miaow

**Note**** : Still at it! Just to make sure you understand, you have to put a few days between the differents parts of this chapter… it's streched on almost a week… The next chapter might not be up until a few days though… Vacations are over, back to work (the one that brings money in the bank account). Don't worry thought, it should take more than a few days! Thank you soooo much for the reviews, please, please, please do continue. Disclaimer : characters aren't my creation, except for Gabrielle who's mine, they are the property of ****Columbia**** Pictures. Yeah.**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 22_

_Miaow_

He sighted and burried his hurting head in his hands. He sat in the empty kitchen. It was six in the morning, but he had been sitting there for a few hours, unable to fall back asleep. No wonder. He heard a small metal squeak and snapped up his head to meet black eyes. Gabrielle was the other side of the tabble, tilting her head with a small smile. The Professor had worked very hard to get her out of her transe, and she had made incredible improvement. She still couldn't walk, but she said a few words once and a while. She did so now.

"You sad?" He made a febble smile and forced himself to look happy.

"No, just a lil'tired. I'm fine, Gabrielle." She smiled, he was the only one to pronounce her name correctly, with a French accent. She shook her head though, not believing him.

"You sad… Is Rogue?" 

"_Non_, no problems with Rogue… I've had a very wicked dream, is all." He sighted. Gabrielle had small empathic powers, just like him, though she didn't had the mental shield he had to keep the other's emotions out of her head, explaning the transe in which she had put herself into. He couldn't hide from her. She frowned and tilted her head the other side. He hated it when she did that. It made her look freaky.

"What in dream?" He stared at the black eyes, surprinsingly expressive now that she was normal, or almost.

"I dreamed about Sinister, Gabrielle… nothin' to be scared about." She didn't seem to agree with that, though, and her eyes went round with surprise.

"Sure important! Tell Prof!"

"_Non_! _Non, Gabrielle, please don't tell'im. It was just'a dream." He stood up and she looked up at him. She bit her lower lip very hard and stared at his eyes, and finally nodded._

"You careful. Tell me dreams again."

"I'll tell ye, _promis_."

***************

I woke up and automaticaly streched an arm to touch Remy, and sighted, feeling the space empty beside me. He was beginning to worry me, getting up very early in the morning. He had dark circles under his eyes and was turning grumpy, and he was very aggressive in the Danger Room sessions. He hadn't made Scott mad in the last few days, which was worrying me and the others very much. The Professor had tried to talk to him, but he had dropped down all doors to his mind, training all day and obviously reluctant to come to sleep.

I had been scared to get married, to see things change between us. Now we've been married no more than a few weeks, and I was alone in my bed half the time. Often someone would find him in the kitchen, staring through the patio door as the sun came up, head burried in his hands. He had frequent headaches. He simply wasn't himself anymore.

I looked at the alarm clock, 5:32. I got on my feet and threw the blankets on the sleeping purring cat, and head downstairs to the kitchen. Sure enough, he was there, looking outside. He didn't look at me while I walked to him, and didn't flinch when I put my hands on his shoulders. I didn't talk. I didn't try to get explanations from him. I simply looked outside with him, watching the sun rise and the dark sky turn red as the world awakened. The small cuckoo clock on the wall coo-cooed six times, and I squeezed his shoulders a bit. I wasn't letting go today, leaving him. He felt it, and sighted. He leaned his head back to rest on my chest, and closed his eyes. I felt a deep tremor run through his whole body, and I leaned down, putting my forehead on the top of his head.

"What's wrong with yah, Remy? Yah're scaring me like hell, acting like that." He reached up, crossing his arms to put his hands on mine, and gently squeezed, sighting again. 

"Don't worry, _chérie_, I'll manage."

That didn't comfort me a bit.

***************

There he was again, pinned on the cold floor, unable to move. His breathing was difficult, and his back hurt. The red eyes flashed, a wicked smile hovered near him. He closed his eyes, trying hard to wake up. Though this time, it didn't work. He panicked, what was going on? The red eyes came near, and he saw Sinister's smile an inch from his face. He tried to jerk back, but the back of his head only hit the cold cement, sending stars in front of his eyes.

"You really though you could get away so easy, Remington?"

Panic was seeping through his veins. Something was wrong. He should have been able to wake up, like the other times.

"You're mine, now."

***************

"MIIIIIIAAAOOOOWW!"

The chocolate cake I was eating with delight was destroyed by a lion-size black and white cat with a black patch on its nose, and the mist of sleep slowly faded as I awakened. I opened my eyes to feel weight on my chest and golden eyes glaring down at me. Damn cat, destroying my dream cake.

"What the hell's wrong with yah, cat?" He just howled again, his voice extremely loud in my ears.

"MIIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOWWW!!!!" I sat up, wondering what was going on with Remy's fearless beast. He seemed to have transformed himself into a giant squirrel during the night, his tail gone huge and the furr on his back standing up in a little cat mohawk. His ears were flat on his head and his claws were burried in the (thick, thank God) blankets. 

"What's wrong, kitty?" I reached up to pet him, but he jumped off me, climbing on Remy's chest, and miaowed again, still looking like a puffed out sea-urchin, his eyes huge and round with fear.

I blinked. Remy? Asleep? I pushed the cat away, and gently shook his shoulder to wake him up. 

Nothing. 

His breathing was slow and regular, but something was wrong. He never slept still, always stirring a bit. Now he laid still, straight like a plank of wood, his arms each side of his body. His lips were straight, without his usual light sleepy smile, and his brows were drawned into a small frown. He was very pale, alarmingly pale. I clapped my hand, hard, on his chest, and yelled in his ear.

"REMY!!!"

Nothing.

The cat climbed back on the bed, sat on Remy's stomach, and miaowed again. I gulped, hard, then nodded to the cat and got up, running out of the room to get some help.

**To be continued…**

**Woohoo! I _could continue, but I'll stop here. I'm beginning to like cliffhangers… gives you the time to figure out how to get your characters out of the s* you've put them in…_**


	23. Voyage into a dark mind

**Note**** : There are some new POVs in that chapter, I think it was necessary… I have to be honest, I have no idea how this is going to end… I guess I'll find a way for it to end happily, but I would like to bring out some tears, still thinking what I could write to do so… *evil smile*. Muahahhhaha. WOW! I feel good! Thanks to all the reviewers… I have to name you guys, you're the best : T., Kaitland, homegirl2, Haeniliel (Salut compatriote! Je me sens moins seule!), ishandahalf, Becki, Tammy, Tia, Warmer Than Fire, Yasei Raiden, Jean1, luvdabecki, LinkinPark4ever, sora kinomoto, Hikari, crazytook, cerebro, dagger, Rogue Worrior Spirit, Elcy Name and ann… I already feel bad for those I forgot if I did, and also thanks those who read the story but are afraid to say if they loved it or not, for some reson I won't ask :-) Please, oh please, do continue reviewing! And, oh my, I'm on some favorite authors lists? Oh my God! Oh my God! Mon Dieu, vous êtes émouvants! J'en perds mon anglais! Lol. Oh, and Gabrielle is mine, but all of the others belong to 20th Century Fox (now THEY have to change their company name, it just doesn't sound really actual anymore… oh well). Yup.**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 23_

_Voyage into a dark mind_

He couldn't explain it. He sneezed and looked at the faces turned towards him. The Professor, Gabrielle, Jean, Scott… my God, even Scott looked worried. Storm, Logan and… Rogue. Her wet deep green eyes were too much to bear for him. Hank looked back at the lab bed where Remy laid, not moving, but even the cat's stare was hard to stand. The dumb animal kept climbing on the bed, no matter how many times he had chased the thing, and was now sitting between Remy's knees, staring at Hank with something you could call cat hope in the shinny yellow eyes. He sneezed again, sighted, and turned back to the humans.

"I don't understand" he simply said.

"What do you mean?" said Ororo with a shaking voice.

"I… well. His vital signs are excellent. No illness, no virus, no wounds… His heartbeat is very slow, though, but that's not alarming, considering his state. His brain activity is a little down, but far from brain-dead, don't worry… In fact, Remy isn't only unconscious, he's in some kind of coma." Air was vaccumed out of the laboratory as the other X-Men held their breaths, trying to make the connection in their heads. 

Remy?

Coma? 

But… "Why? I don't know." He sighted again, deeply. "That's what I'm trying to understand. And how to get him out of it. His life doesn't seem to be in danger, but… well." Hank was totally in a lost of words, which didn't happen often. He repressed another sneeze. "I'm still looking for clues, but it seems all we can do for now is wait. And I would really like someone to get me rid of that cat, I'm allergic."

***************

Jean had gone to sleep thinking about Remy and a way to get him out of the coma. She knew she would dream about it; she always dreamed about what she thought about while drifting to sleep. 

And there she was.

Everything was black around her and she tried to get her sense of orientation on line. There was a small light coming from over her, enlighting the ground beneath her feet. Then she felt him. His presence. Around her.

"Remy? Gambit, I can feel you… where are you?"

"Jean?" said a scared voice. She turned on her heels. He was standing behind her, wearing his x-men suit under his long dark trench coat, combat boots, black gloves and all. He was like the usual Gambit she knew. He looked scared to death, though, but very glad to see her. "Jean, help me."

"How, Remy? We don't even know what's going on…"

"I'm stuck, Jean."

"What?"

"I'm stuck here, I can't get out." She stared at him, slowly understanding. Stuck… in his head? "I need help. Please. Quick."

She felt the black world twirling around her, as she slowly came back to consciousness.

She sat up in her bed, panting.

Maybe there was something they could do.

***************

I held on to Remy's hand like dear life as Jean was discussing with Henry. Could it be possible? Could she save him, from the inside? What if his shields were up against a mind entering? What if… there was something in there? What if it made things worse? I looked at Remy pale face, his full lips pressed together, dark lashes resting on his cheeks, never coming up to reveal bright crimson eyes… I wiped a tear away before it could slide on my cheek. It couldn't get worse. Hank looked down at me.

"Rogue, Jean is going to try entering Remy's mind. He still has high brain-activity, so there are chances that his mind is still awakened and that he… might be stuck in his body, unable to wake up. Now this might not bring him back, but it could give us answers, and some clue on how to wake him up from his coma."

I nodded. That seemed like the best plan right now. No… it was the only one. I relunctantly let go of Remy hand, letting it fall on the thin mattress, and moved away so Jean could take my place. She sat on the high chair and put her hands on Remy's temples. She closed her eyes. I saw her body tremor as communication settle, and I held my breath.

***************

She was in. She took a deep breath, feeling weird. Remy had never permit any intruders in his mind, closing all doors to his mind and thoughts. She felt like she was unwelcomed, and didn't really want to know about Gambit's past. He hid them from his friends for a reason only he knew. She knew enough about his past, she didn't want to know more. She concentrated on her mission. She had to find him.

It was dark as night without a moon. She could feel the floor was made of cement: her shoes made a small clicking sound as she slowly made her was in the vast empty space around her. Empty? Concentrating, she could make out forms around her, ghosts of Remy's past, faces she did not see, others she did not recognized. Then she looked further away, and saw him. 

He was sitting on an invisible chair, head down as if he was sleeping. His wrists were drawned together, as were his ankles, as it they were tied up, but she could see nothing binding them. He looked like he was sitting into space, hovering in the air. She shivered.

"Remy?" she called softly. "Oh Remy, please wake up." He slowly lifted his head and opened his eyes to look at her. He looked startled to see her.

"Jean? What are'y doin'here? Get out!"

"Remy, we want to help you, but we don't know what to do…"

He looked at her, and she could see permanent fear in his eyes. What was going on in this head?

"I can't move, Jean." He tried to get up, but invisible irons kept him bind up to the invisible chair. She heard the clinging sound of chains as he sat down abruptly with a small noise, half a groan, half a sob. "You have to go, Jean." He closed his eyes. "Leave, before it's too late."

She felt something grab her arms and she turned on her heels, meeting another pair of red eyes, glowing with fury. She gasped. "Sinister!"

"LEAVE!" he roared at her face, and she flinched, scared like hell. "He's mine!" She heard an exclamation from Remy behind her, and felt sucked away as he slowly closed his mind to further explorations.

"Please, Remy, don't do that…"

"Good bye, Jean. Nobody must come in'here. Way too dangerous."

**To be continued!**

**Just give me a few days…**


	24. Taking Over

**Note**** : Woo hoo!!! You keep telling me I'm updating fast, but wow, a hundred reviews in two weeks isn't bad at all! Wow, you guys are great! Please continue making me laugh, wipe tears from my eyes… and correct my mistakes. *shy smile* Shame on me! Special thanks to ladystrider77 and crazytook for telling me about my mistake about sighs and sights… Those just look the same to me! I'll correct it, though, and be more careful in the next chapters! *big big hug* It's strange, though, that you two are the first in more than 100 reviews (100!!!!! Wow! I mean… WOW!!) to tell me so… The others were too shy? Don't be afraid to tell me! No matter what you tell me in my reviews, my English is far from perfect, and I really want to improve it. And for that, I need your help! (But please, if there really are a ****LOT**** of mistakes, please, please use the email adress :-P). And yes, French is my native language, that's why I don't have any difficulties using that language in my story. **

**To answer Twisted Rain's question, I'm from the ****province**** of ****Québec****, in ****Canada****. I understand English very well (I used to watch _Sesame Street_ when I was young, instead of other French children shows, like _Passe-Partout and the abominable butterflies that Passe-Montagne seemed to see all the time… That was freaking scary!) and from what I can read from your reviews, I'm kinda good at writing it (but you should hear my accent when I speak English! I hate it!). But when 7 000 000 francophones live in the middle of a continent (in that case, North _****America****, hope you've guessed) where more than 300 000 000 others talk English, being bilingual isn't really a choice. **

**Okay, end of sentimental talk. Back to story. Some of you were confused with the dreams suddently stopping… oh well, I have no magical answer to that, sorry. I got bored of it? Hihi, no. I'll let you decide if Remy and Rogue's travel in the past did _change _something in the past (in that case, it would explain the disapearance of the dreams, in a way, because Sinister would probably remember them now as the murderers of his mortal human shape, not only as X-Men. _I_'d remember if I were him.) or if they went there to _make things happened (it could be, but in that case, is can be confusing, where would the dreams be?). You could also say Sinister simply forgot the idea, retrieving to his lair to plot against Remy, explaining what is happening now… Let's make this an interactive story, and use your imagination, okidouki? I really mean to end this in endless hapinness (if I manage to end this thing) and a lot of babies and kisses and other happy stuff. But first, I have to find a way to get Remy out of the s* he put himself into. Ah, men! Sorry for the bad word(s). Ooooh, zis von't be eazy fo'me!_**

**Oh and the characters don't belong to me, they're my cat's creations (Gilbert, the dumbest cat in the world. He inspired me for Thing's looks and color, but I wish he could be as smart…). Except for Gabrielle. She's mine. But you already know all of this, I've said it 23 times already.**

**Pfiew! _That was a long note._**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 24_

_Taking over_

He saw Jean's image fade as he concentrated to close his mind to her and to the others, and dropped down his head, staring at his feet. He felt Sinister coming closer to him, standing in front of him, looking at him. He could easily imagine a small ironic smile on his lips, and bile rose to his throath. A white hand came under his chin, lifting his face so he had to look into the dark red eyes. Not like his; Sinister's eyes were completely red, not red on black. They were glowing with fury, though, and Remy repressed a shudder before closing back his eyes. Sinister walked a few steps back.

"You closed your mind, Remington. They won't be able to come in here anymore."

"I know I did. I had to keep them safe from ye."

"You know, you've just lost any chance of getting some help from them."

Remy gulped hard. He was weak, and tired. All strenght he still had had left him when he had locked up his mind. He would never be able to open it again, he knew it well. But his life for three others, he thought. The Professor, Jean and Betsy would come back, and this time, Sinister would kill them, at least in their minds, leaving them dead physically, or in a vegetable state. Now, that was likely to happen to _him, and his jaw tightened. Now they were safe. But what about him?_

"I know. Ye gonna kill me, aren't ye." To his surprise, Sinister's head jerked up. He looked honestly surprised.

"Kill you? Why in the world would I kill you?" Remy just blinked. Why would he not? "No, I have better plans for you, Remington."

***************

Jean popped her eyes open and blinked a few times, unbelieving. I stood beside her, willing myself not to yell at her, not to push her as she slowly came back to reality. My head was yelling "What happened! What is going on with him! Tell me!". She looked bewildered and lost, though, so I simply put a light hand on her shaking shoulder and spoke gently, leaning to look into her eyes. "Are yah all raht, Jean?" She blinked again and seemed to finally see me. Her eyes fulled with tears, and my heart broke.

"Oh Rogue… Remy, he… He kicked me out!"

"He what?"

"He kicked me out, closed his mind…" She shook her hand and a shiver ran through her body, and through the hand on her shoulder, through mine. She looked up at me, then at Henry. "This is Sinister's doing, he's inside…" She vaguely motionned towards the body on the bed, including Remy, his mind and the general disaster that was still to come.

***************

Colors were twirling around him, making him dizzy. His hands and ankles were still bond by some kind of irons, but he could stand up. Sinister was standing in front of him, raising his arms as images and memories began to flash before his eyes. Memories of Rogue, of former missions… Memories of Bella, of the guilds… His street living, picking pockets and stealing from the market place… His stay at the orphanage, the kids beating him down, kicking him as he balled up in foetal position on the cold floor, calling him names… White walls, disinfectant smells, a glass window, a soft blue blanket… Green water. Cold. Hurt. Needles entering his skin. The memory of this hurt him, as he remembered… the experiments? Sinister turned, facing him, and made an evil smile. "You remember now, Remington? I've worked so hard, for so many years, to make you what you are now… I had made sure your powers would manifest themselves only in your early teens, when the rush of hormones activated your modified DNA *… It grew stronger while you got older. Now, Remington, you can use the powers I gave you at full strenght. You are now the strongest. Undestructible."

***************

I sighed deeply, and rose to my feet. I had been weeping for half the night, holding to Remy's inert hand. Henry was asleep in his room next to the lab, and everything was silent and dark in the lab. Henry had put a woolen blanket on my shoulders before leaving, murmuring a small "goodnight" and yawning his head off. I filled a glass with water and turned back to Remy. What was happening inside his head? What was Sinister doing to him? Was he hurting him? Killing him? The water suddently felt to cold, and I put the glass down on the counter, staring at it. I thought I saw a movement in the corner of my eye, though, and I snapped my head back at Remy. 

He was moving. His fingers were twitching and his chest was heaving up and down really fast as his breathing accelerated. The monitors were going crazy, and the beeping sound were driving me mad. I could see on the green screen that his heart was beating madly. "Oh my Gawd, he awakening!" I walked to the bed, and stared at him. What was I to do? I moved to put my hands on his cheeks, then thought better and reached back to a near table, picking up my gloves and putting them on before I made a mistake. I turned back, and gasped, freezing.

His eyes were opened, and he was staring at the ceiling, or something else I couldn't see. His eyes held a glow I had never seen in them, and he was breathing slowly, much too slowly. I felt a shudder run down my spine, and I reached up a hand to put it on his bare shoulder. I whispered to him "Remy? Can yah hear me, sugah?". That got me a reaction. He snapped his head to the left, locking his stare with mine. I frowned. Something was wrong.

I didn't move as he lifted his right hand and reached for my head. I did move, though, when it settled on my throat and began to squeeze. I grabbed his wrist with both my arms and tried to pull it back, screaming. Remy got on his feet, his eyes still plunged into mine, and moved closer to me. My powers seemed not to have any effects on him, and my superstrenght was useless. Whatever was happening to him, I wasn't able to do anything against him. Black spots began twirling in front of my eyes. I hadn't strangled yet, but was in the process of doing so in the hands of my husband. He was killing me.

Suddently, the grip on my throat loosened and he threw me against the wall. I landed with a crash, and sat hard in a puddle of chimical stuff and broken glass. I choked and cought, trying to recover my breath. I rolled into a ball, whoozing and coughing, as I saw Remy's shape looming over me.

Then the floor began to glow. What?

The floor around me was beginnig to show an eerie red glow, and I looked up at Remy. His eyes were bright, and he was staring at the floor under me. Could he charge things without touching them? The floor began to shake under my feet, and I gathered my strengh and leaped for Remy's body. He fell back with a startled exclamation and lost his hold on the floor. It exploded, bringing me to hold up my arms over my head to cover it from the noise and debris coming from the explosion. Noise was coming from all around the laboratory; the X-Men were awake and coming to help. Remy bent over me, grabbed my hair and pulled it up. I yelp in pain and stood up, but he kept his grip on my locks and stared into my eyes. Something flickered in his eyes, and he blinked, suddently releasing me. He took a few steps back, mouth slithly agape, features returning to a more normal, scared Remy. "Rogue?" he asked. "What happened?"

As suddently as he had returned to a more normal himself, he yelled in pain and fell on his knees, clutching his head with both hands, moaning. I hesitated to come close to him, but I didn't have the time to decide that he was on his feet again, sweat gleaming on his face, his features returned to a hard, evil look. He glared at me, but turned back and crashed through the window, as I heard the footsteps of the others in the corridor. 

Too late.

To be continued!

* I am NOT a scientific, neither a doctor of somekind… If this is impossible and you know it is, please don't say. Let's pretend, okay?


	25. Mr Hyde

**Note**** : Pfew! Longest chapter ever, I think. And don't worry, ishandahalf, the sweet gentle sexy Remy will come back. I don't own the characters. If I did, I'd be writing a book, not a _fanfiction ("fan" being the important word here. As in "I love what other people created and use it for fun? Yeah). Sorry for the long time without no updates, but I had some problems with the uploads. The problem seems to be resolved, though, so I'm back with fast updates and a lot of new ideas._**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 25_

_Mr. Hyde_

I woke up in the middle of the night and sat up, shivering and gasping as waves of sensations ran up and down my sweaty body. I kept having dreams where Remy and I made love, where Remy was his normal charming and sexy self. I missed him, his smile, his voice, his body… I closed my eyes as a tear ran down my cheek, round as a pearl.

He had "left" a week ago, trashing through the laboratory window, and we haven't been able to track him since then. His mental shield seemed to be strong enough to block even Cerebro's tracking, and we were all beginning to think we would have to wait for him to come back and show himself.

If he did.

I was crying by now, and a small purring sound came from the other side of the bed. Remy's cat wasn't looking very healthy, I had to admit. The poor thing had stopped eating for almost a week, refusing any food provided, even cheese and meat. The cat venerated Remy as if he was the Mighty Cat God, and would never be very far if Remy was on the mansion grounds. Now Remy was gone and the cat was letting itself starve to death, left alone without a reason to live. It liked me enough, though, to raise its thin furry body and come by my side, purring and closing its eyes as I gently let my fingers run through the deep black and white furr. It was comforting, I thought. No matter Remy loved the small beast. I had always considered the Gambit like a cat, slender, moving without a sound, surprising his prey, always aware of everything around him. He was as "cat" as Logan was "dog". It was a miracle these two could stand each other, let alone get along well. I gave a deep sigh and layed back, the cat climbing on my chest to lay down, its baseball-like head between my breasts, purring with complete abandon as I let my hand on its side, feeling the small chest rise with its breathing, the purr fading slowly as the cat went back to sleep. The little heart was beating fast under my hand, and a lump grew in my throat when my fingers felt his ribs just under the skin. If Remy didn't come back, that cat would die, I was sure of it.

I turned my head to look out the window. Everything was silent and the july air was hot and humid. It was a sure thing I couldn't go back to sleep, so I pushed the cat aside and got up. Maybe I could go for a walk in the park, to clear my head and think of something else. "Think of something else? Dream are what keeps you alive, hein?" I snorted ironically to myself.

I walked to the closet and slowly opened it so the old hinges wouldn't creak. As I rumaged for some clothes to wear, something fell on the floor, and I bent to pick it up. Remy's leather coat, the one he wore to go motorbiking. The leather was soft and used, he must have had that coat for years. I put my nose in the collar and the smell of men's cologne and cigarette went up my nose, bringing tears to my eyes in memory. I held it to my chest, eyes closed, and sighed before putting it back in the closet. Something made a clinging noise in one of the pockets, and I searched in it. I pulled back my hand from the pocket to retrieve a set of keys, with a small Harley Davidson metal key holder. I held my breath. Nobody had ever touched Remy's "toy", as he called it. I remembered him kneeling next to it in the driveway as he washed it a few weeks ago, gently rubbing the chrome with a clean cloth, softly humming a blues song to himself as the sun shone on the metal of the bike. Driving it was his getaway, his way of being alone with his thoughts. He had taken me relunctantly on some short rides, but had never let anyone drive it. A small smile made its way on my face, as I imagined myself on the powerful motorcycle. My small red Honda bike figured like a kids toy, standing next to the black and chrome Harley. I swallowed hard, deciding if I should…

I dressed up and grabbed the coat, the keys squeezed thight in my hand. I was going for a ride on the forbidden bike.

***************

Carried away with the sound of the motor between my legs, I rode on deserted roads until the first sun rays shone on the horizon. I put the bike to a stop to listen to the silence, and turned my head to see I was in front of a kids park. I left the bike and walked to the swings, sitting on one of the wooden small benchs. The criquets were singing in a joyful chorus in the trees around me, and I lifted my chin up to look at the sky, where the last stars were slowly fading. Everything was peaceful around me, and yet I felt great turmoil inside my body, gripping my stomach and making me feel sick. Would everything return to normal? To what I liked?

Would Remy come back? Would he be _my Remy again, or some evil stranger with terrible forces controling his mind? I heard a suddent small noise and looked towards the Harley, where a man was standing, looming over the bike, putting a hand on the seat still warm from the ride. "Hey yah! Get away from that bike!" I yelled, rising to my feet and hovering a few inches off the grounds, ready to leap on the stranger. His head jerked up at the sound of my voice, and I gasped when a small red twinkle glowing in his eyes. I froze, remembering the monster he had become in the lab._

"I can't believe y'took m'bike" he just said. I half-shrugged, ready to fly away from any attack, but unsure if he was his normal self again or if it was a lure.

"Ah needed to get away, and couldn't sleep. It seemed to work well on yah, so Ah decided to try." He smiled a bit.

"Yeah, works well enough. I'd probably blow it off now, though." The smile suddently dissapeared and his features darkened. He quickly drew back his hand from the seat. He looked at me a long time, and sighed. He turned and slowly stroded to a bench under a street lamp, not far from me. He sat hard on the bench, and leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and letting his fingers run in his hair, head dropped down in despair. He had been wearing simple cotton trousers in the med lab, but he had managed to get (or steal) some jeans and a long sleeves shirt that must had been white in another life. He had some black combat boots on, and my heart gave a leap at the sight of the wide gold band on his ring finger, shinning in the light of the new sun rays. My thumb moved involuntarily, playing with my own wedding ring. A lump formed in my throath, seeing him immobile and despaired. I missed him so much… and he was there, only a few feet away. But I still remembered the scene in the lab, though, and knew what Sinister was capable of, including using Remy as bait. I took a few steps forward, but stayed aware, watching his every move.

He didn't move, though. But he talked. "I'm so sorry, Rogue… I just can't believe…" He let his hands drop in front of him and lifted his head, staring at an invisible spot in the grass in front of him. "I could see everythin'… I could see yer eyes, looking so scared, I could feel my hands on yer throath but… but I couldn't stop it. Dammit, I couldn't even control it!" He squeezed his eyes shut, his adams apple bobbing up and down in his throath. "If y'would die in m'hands, Rogue, I'd just die of it m'self." I swallowed and moved a step further.

"What's hap'ning to yah, sugah?" I asked gently. He opened his eyes, still staring into space.

"He… he took control of me. Sometimes he just leaves me alone, like now, but he always comes back, takin' control of my mind, using m'body like a string muppet… The first times I remember. But now, it's like I loose consciousness… I just wake up, with no notion of de things he might have made me do." He looked down, stretching his fingers in front of his face, and I saw him make a wry smile as his right hand went to his gold ring, making it turn around his finger. Then his hands balled into fists, and I could see him hunch slightly as another ton of pressure fell on his shoulders. I walked the last feet separating me from him, and kneeled in front of him. I raised my gloved hands to his bearded cheeks, and looked into the red depths. His eyes were wet, and behind the harsh features, I could see despair in his eyes. And fear. A lot of fear. His eyes squinted slightly and filled with tears, and he began to shake as I put my arms around his shoulders and craddled him like a small kid. He sobbed in my neck, shaking and holding me tight against his chest. I rocked him slowly as violent shivers went through his shoulders, and after some time his voice came out, muffled in the leather coat.

"Why? What's he doin' t'me?" he croaked, his voice shaking.

"Ah don't know, sugah, but we're gonna find out." He sighed deeply and drew back, letting me go. He sniffed, letting his hands run on my arms, caressing the soft black leather.

"My coat… So dat's where y'found the keys." He tried to smile but his face broke again, and he closed his eyes, squeezing them shut. "I'm so scared, Rogue. I don't understand what's happenin' t'me, and I'm scared like hell." I put my hands on his shoulders, and felt the tension in the hard muscles under the thin cotton shirt.

"We'll find a way to get yah outta this, Remy. Believe me." I shook him slightly. "Believe me." He opened his eyes and looked into mine. His hands drew up and he cupped my cheek, and the corners of his mouth quirked up a bit. He opened his mouth to reply, but he frowned, seeing I had completely frozen. He pulled back his hand and suddently realized he had just touched my bare skin.

"You go out it the middle of the night, wanderin' in de parks, and you don't have yer powers?"

"Remy, I… I have mah powers. I didn't take the pills." He frowned and stared at me. Suddently he got up, and quickly walked away. "Remy?" He turned back at my calling, and looked at me, fear back in his eyes.

"I'm immuned to ye? Yer powers have no effect on me Rogue! Y'have to leave!" I got back on my feet and shook off some dead leaves that clung to my jeans. My head snapped up at his last words, though, and I felt my cheeks flush, frustrated.

"Leave yah? Ah've been worrying for a week about where you've been, and now…" I didn't finish my sentence. His face had gone blank with shock, and his mouth opened without letting out a sound. Finally he talked.

"A week?" he slowly said. "I've been gone a week?"

"Well… yeah…"

"Rogue, if yer powers have no effect on me, y'have to go, now, before he has control on m'mind again." I opened my mouth to protest, but he raised his hand, stopping me. "I don't wanna hurt you, _chérie. I'd hate myself even more if I did." I closed my mouth. I walked to him and put my hand on his chest, feeling the reassuring rising of his chest, and the wild thumping of his heart._

"Okay." He let go the breath he'd been keeping, and closed his eyes in relief. "But the next time you're awake, yah come here, okay? We'll think of some way to get yah outta this, and we'll come for yah here. Okay?" He opened eyes full of hope on me, and started to nod, but he suddently squeezed his eyes shut and moaned, as his hands went up to his head, finger gripping on his hair. I froze, then realized what was happening. I walked back.

"Leave. Rogue. Fast." He murmured. I turned back and ran to the motorcycle, inserting the key in the ignitor and starting the powerful engine.

As the motorcycle took up some speed and flew on the street, I looked back to see my husband, kneeling in the grass, his head in his hands. And as I looked back at the street, I made a promise, to him and to myself, to get him out of this shit.

**To be continued!**


	26. Locked from the inside

**Note**** : Characters aren't mine, you already know. Wish they were, it'd help me pay my university bills… Ishandahalf : You don't worry, dear, I'm working on it, we'll get him back, promise. Told ya it'll have a happy ending, if it has one (an endless story, wouldn't that be cool? Would take a lot of time, though…) Yasei Raiden : Thanks for the notice, I appreciate a lot! And in general, thanks for the reviews. You guys are loyal, it's great! Review again! _S'il vous plaît_!**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 26_

_Locked from the inside_

It was almost 7 o'clock by the time I returned to the mansion. I drove the motorcycle into the garage, and came into the house through the kitchen door. Logan was sitting at the table, an empty plate in front of him, sitting next to Jubilee, who was driking a glass of orange juice. Sitting on the other side of the table were Scott and Jean, a bowl filled with cereals in front of them. Hank was walking to the table, a plate filled with peanut buttered toasts in his paw. All of them stopped talking and moving as I entered the kitchen, and I stopped in the doorframe to look at them. "What?"

"You were out, Rogue?" Jean asked. It was hard saying no, since they had probably heard the motorcycle coming towards the garage.

"Remy'll throttle you if he finds out you've been riding his Harley…" Logan said, a smirk on his lips. Remy had threatened him often enough, daring him to stick one single finger on the motorcycle.

"He already knows" I just said, and I took off the coat to put it on one of the chairs, and I sat on it, grimacing slithly as pain grew in my bottom and my back. Motorcyling is a sweet way of locomotion, but it isn't meant for long rides, especially when you're tired, and not used to it. I put my elbows on the table and my face in my hands, but slowly straightened back up, looking back at my friends. Silence had fell again on the kitchen, and everyone was looking at me again, but this time with more than surprise, and a little worry.

"What do you mean, he already knows?" Asked Scott, his spoonful of cereal stopped in mid-air as he cocked an eyebrow at me.

"Ah… saw him, in a park. He… he's despaired, to put it lightly…" Scott frowned and I sighed, guessing the preaching was coming.

"He was normal? I mean…"

"He didn't try to kill me, if that's what yah mean… Sinister's in his mind, controling him… but sometimes he's conscious, himself, for a short time. Ah left in time, though." Something stuck in my throath as I remembered the sight of Remy crouched in the grass, fighting with something he couldn't control inside his head. "We have to do something… Ah told him to go back to the park, once he's himself again… We'll find something, won't we?" For some reason, my eyes searched for Jean's. For a medical manner, I would have turned to Hank, but Sinister was messing with Remy's mind, and Jean was the specialist in that kind of stuff. She pursed her lips, thinking, and looked back at her plate.

"There must be some way, but I can't see how we can go through his mental shields, especially now that Sinister has upgraded his powers. His telepathic powers must be more powerful, too…"

"He won't block yah, he needs our help, Jean!" I interrupted her. She looked up and her eyes met mine.

"Maybe _he_ won't block my entrance, or the Professor's… But you did say it yourself, Rogue. He is not the one who's in control of himself right now, let alone of his mind. But we better get him first. We'll find something then."

***************

He opened his eyes to find himself in the woods again. He hurt everywhere, a burning feeling in his veins as his newly reinforced powers ran in his blood. He didn't remember a thing since Rogue had left and darkness had filled his mind. He clenched his fists. How long had it been? The first times he woke up, he thought it had only been a few hours, so he had calculated a day, maybe two, since Sinister had taken control of his brain. But a week? It seemed to him it was only hours since Rogue had left him, but now he knew it could as well be days. He raised to his feet, remembering what Rogue had said. "The next time you're awake, yah come here, okay? We'll think of some way to get yah outta this, and we'll come for yah here. Okay?" His heart warmed a bit at the thought of her. She wasn't hurt, she didn't hate him for what he had become… or was becoming. She would help. His friends would help. He just had to find the park where she had left him.

***************

Logan paced in the grass next to the swings, alert to any noise. For three days the X-Men were relaying on staying in the small park, waiting for Remy to come up. Now it was Logan's turn, for the second time, and as important as this mission could be, it was boring like hell. The park was peaceful, though, and even his powerful hearing sense could appreciate the silence. Until…

Logan turned on his heels and stared at the woods, where he could see some movement. Soon a man appeared between the trees, and Logan gasped a little when he saw the wrecked state in wich Remy appeared. His jeans were covered with mud and teared up at many places. The t-shirt wasn't in a better state, and looked like it had been toasted over light fire before being handwashed in dirty water. His arms were on each side of his body, hanging down as if he didn't have the strengh to lift them. The red eyes glowed a bit as he squinted them to look at Logan, and his features relaxed when he recognized him. "_Merci, Logan…" he murmured, before falling on his knees. Then he fainted and fell forward, his face burring in the wet grass, as Logan ran to him. He turned his friend's body on his back to check for damages, but he could see the man was probably only exhausted._

"Come on, boy, let's take you home."

***************

Okay, so we had found him. He had come back to the park like I had told him, and Logan had brough him into the mansion, half awake, and he layed now on a med bed again. This time we were all around him, watching him silently as he slowly woke up. He blinked a few times and slowly sat up. Then his eyes met mine and he smiled, and the tension on the room eased a bit.

The Professor hovered to the bed and put a hand on Remy's arms. Remy turned his gaze to the Professor, his eyes full of hope. "Ye're gonna be able to help me, Prof? 'Cause y'see, I'm getting' tired of dis. Physicaly and moraly." The Professor had a small smile.

"We are going to try entering your mind, Remy. I know you don't like it, but it's the only way we can ever help you." Remy didn't even hesitate and nodded. "Good. Betsy, Jean and me are going to enter your mind so we can see what's going on exactly. I want you to relax and close your eyes." Remy obeyed, and the three telepaths closed their eyes as well. They were around the bed, the Professor to the right, Jean on the left, and Psylocke at Remy's feet.

A few seconds hadn't passed before a banging sound came to my ears, bringing me to raise my hands up in an attempt to protect the fragile eardrum inside. I saw Remy's eyes squint tight and his shoulders shrug in reflex, and the three telepaths's head jerked back. Psylocke fell back only to be caught by Logan from falling to the floor, but Jean only took a step back, and the Professor's chair hovered a few feet back. All of them were blinking in misunderstanding. Remy's face was blank with shock and he was staring at his feet, gasping loudly.

"Whoa!" said Betsy, with feeling. "What the hell happened! I felt like hitting a wall on my way down a bungee jump!"

"Remy, what happened?" asked the Professor. "You were supposed to keep your mental shields down… It wasn't you, was it?" 

Remy closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. He drew up his knees and put his arms around his legs, letting his forehead drop down to rest on his knees, eyes closed. "I didn't block anythin'… I tried hard to keep de door opened to you, but he was too strong fo'me." His voice was barely inaudible, but everyone could hear it in the silent room. My heart gave a squeeze to see him so despaired and helpless. To show his weakness in front of all the others meant a lot, and I saw Scott's brows draw together in a worried frown. Remy lifted his head again and turned it to the Professor. He was frowning, like if he was having a bad headache. I began to worry more as I recognized the symptoms on his face. "You're gonna have to find a way to put me in a cell, 'cause he's coming back." Hank caugh the message and leaped to his desk, grabbed something and stood in front of Remy, holding up what he had in his hands. A Genoshen Slave collar. I held my breath and heard Remy gasp. This thing was a mutant nightmare, but we didn't have any choice. He moaned as the pain in his head seemed to grow worse, and he nodded. Hank quikly step forward to put the collar on Remy's neck and swiftly locked it, the lock making a small klicking sound. I shivered, but Remy just blinked as his powers were drained by the collar, and sighed with relief.

"He's gone" he just said.

"Because there is no need to take control of your mind, since your powers are turned off by the collar" said the Professor. "This will give us some time to think of a way to help you, and for you to get some rest. And now that your telepathic abilities aren't working, we'll try to enter your mind again. But only tomorrow. It is late and we now have time. You sleep."

**To be continued!**


	27. There's nothing like a good night sleep

**Note**** : humph, this is getting hard to write! I've never been good at writting action scenes (I don't even _know if there will be an action scene, but something will happen, for sure, and I simply don't know what). I wrote this right after waking up and I didn't really re-re-re-read it for mistakes, so maybe there is a lot of them. Now it's sunny outside and I don't have to work today, so you guys are going to have to wait until tomorrow. Yup._**

**Not mine, Marvel's. No money made, but my husband keeps telling me to stop that and write something more… hum… lucrative? Hehe, don't worry, I rarely listen to these kinds of advices. Besides I don't have any ideas, and I'm enjoying this too much. Oh my God, wait! Is something horrible gonna happen to Remy and Rogue again???? Hum, what do you think? I hate when everything's fine. It would be booooorring.**

**Oh, btw, *…* means telepathic communication. But I already told you that, didn't I.**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 27_

_There's nothing like a good night sleep_

He was laying on the bed, under the silk sheets, staring at the ceiling. The feeling was eerie, like he was empty inside. The feeling of burning in his veins had subsided and his heart and blood pressure had slowed down, making the constant headache dissapear. The tickling in his fingers hadn't stopped, though, and the absence of powers was hard to bear, like a big hollow in his stomach.

His head felt empty, too, but that was a relief. Sinister had retired in a corner of his mind, waiting for the collar to be removed…Remy closed his eyes. His powers at full strengh were hard to bear. It wasn't only the kinetic charging, but also his telepathic abilities, and the damn empathy he wish he never had. It had its uses, but if he didn't have a telepathic shield to block any entrance in his mind, the feelings of all human creatures on Earth would soon have overwhelmed him and turned him crazy, with his abilities improved as they were.

Would he still be so powerful once he got rid of Sinister? He ran his fingers in his hair, tangling up the dark locks. He wasn't sure of it. For now, they only hurt him and made him tired, but it wasn't really different than when his powers first appeared, when he was fifteen. He smiled. Henri had made him furious during dinner and he had raised from his seat, as well as Henri on the other side of the table, both shouting. Full of teenage hormones and frustrated by Henri laughs, he had wanted to throw his big brother a ceramic plate, but instead had charged it, making it explode in the air and making the glass ceiling lamp fall on the table under the bewildered eyes of his family – and his. He had kept them under general control… until he had met Sinister, and had learned from him how to really control the powers, the telepathic shields and the empathy. Until he had made horrible mistakes that had almost cost him his life… and Rogue's love and respect. He moaned lightly and turned on his stomach, burrying his face in the soft feather pillow. It couldn't be so bad. This time, the Professor was there to help him control the newly improved powers, and such strengh could only help in the x men team. But still, something didn't feel right. Did he have these powers burried inside his body before Sinister invaded his mind? Did Sinister just turned them on, like a switch, or did he give them to him by entering his head?

He turned on his back again, trying to order his mind to sleep. His right hand went to the steel collar in his neck, and he shivered. The thing seemed to be always cold on his skin, despite the heat of his body. It was small, no bigger than his thumb, but it clung to the skin like leeches and he _was_ feeling the drain, though it was his powers the collar was draining, not his blood. He turned in the sheets again, careful not to pull them all on his side. Rogue stirred a bit, disturbed by his moves, but relaxed back into sleep. He turned again, slowly this time, to look at her. She wasn't deeply asleep, he thought, her breathing was shallow and fast, and her fingers twitched on the pillow, next to her face. She was turned towards him, the blankets down to her waist. She was wearing the white nightshirt he had offered her a year ago, and it was now all twisted around her body.

It almost hurt to look at her. His heart gave a squeeze when she smile a bit in her sleep, and he reached to her face to push a white lock from her face. She awoke almost instantly, fluttering her eyelashes, and blushed when she saw his gaze on her. "Hey sugah" she whispered, and huddled close to him. He put his arms around her, and checked the alarm clock over her shoulder. 4h45, good. Rogue's powers weren't going to kick in before six in the morning. "Yah can't sleep either?"

"_Non_. I keep thinkin' and thinkin'..."

"Don't." She lifted her chin to look at him in the eyes. "Everything gonna be okay, honey. Yah're home, now." She lifted her head a little more so that their lips met. The kiss went deeper and he searched her mouth with an angry tongue. Almost two weeks since he had left. Two weeks without her, without her scent and the feeling of her skin against his… She seemed to be thinking the same thing, and she put her hands on his shoulders to push him on his back, not letting go of his lips. Images were twirling in his head as waves of sensations raised goosebumps all over his body, and her hands kept running on his arms, his chest, his…

He took her arms and turned her on her back. He kissed her again, finding her tongue, and she gave out a small moan as his hands found her breasts, cupping them as he bent his head to taste them. He was loosing his senses, overwhelmed with sensation and desire. To hell with the collar, he didn't even feel it anymore. Her body against his and her lips on his lips were enough to make him forget everything else, and he entered her like he had done in his dreams in the past days. She uttered a small shriek and burried her teeth in his shoulder, as he brought himself home in the arms of his wife.

_Yah're home, now._

***************

That collar was too tight. Or maybe he was just very nervous. Either way, he felt his breathing difficult, and his hands were shaking as he held them together to hide it.

*Take a deep breath, Remy, this will _not hurt.* Remy snapped his head up to look at the Professor, this was the first time he ever got a telepathic message from him. From anyone. Behind the Prof, Psylocke and Jean smiled. He took a deep breath and nodded, closing his eyes. *This time there is no shield to stop us from investigating in your mind. We don't know what we will find inside, and we don't know how much time it will take. But you have to stay still and focus with us, and that's why you have to lay down.* He did, and the telepaths made their way into his mind._

***************

He was there again. A dark place, with cement floor… Was that his mind? He turned to his right to see his three friends next to him, and he met Jean's eyes. She looked worried, but she had already been here. This time, though, no Sinister was there to menace her, and all four slowly made their way in the dark. Remy lead the way, it _was his mind, after all. Soon they heard a voice, and Remy shivered._

*What a fool you are, Remington! Refusing the gift of powers I gave you!* It sounded angry enough, and he saw the Professor straighten in his chair, ready to deal with anything coming up.

*I don' refuse the gift, I refuse to be controled like a damn robot!*

*I didn't have the choice, Remington. You would never do what I want you to do on your own will. It was a surprise that you ever had any conscious moments, you must be even stronger than I thought. But these moments were doomed to dissapear, they were getting rare, and shorter everytime. But you had to find your friends, didn't you? Does the collar fit well around your neck, Remington?* Yes, he felt it, cold metal against bare skin, sticking on his neck and desactivating his powers.

*Sinister, we want you to leave. We will take extreme measures if we have to, to clean Remy's mind of your presence* the Professor thought (loudly). There was no response, and Remy turned to the Professor.

*Extreme measures? What de hell are dose extreme measures?*

*Trust me, Remy.*

**(Hum, do I dare?)**

**(Do I continue this now, or later?)**

**(Hum, later)**

**To be continued!**

**Oh my, I'm sooooo sorry for the horrible cliffhanger. I have to think about what's happening next! Think hard, girl, think!!!!**


	28. Finding Sinister

**Note**** : Woohoo! Chapter 28 done! Sorry it took some time, but we busted our upload limit with our Internet server, and couldn't upload anything for a few days unless paying additional fees… More HIS fault than mine, though, him downloading and uploading stuff on the damn E-Mule and Kazaa, me with my small, small, small chapters… He apologizes for it. Yeah, sure.**

**Character aren't mine, they're Marvel's (I'm soooo tired of saying this. Think I'll add it to the summary instead.), except for Gabrielle. Oh and I took the title of the chapter from "Finding Nemo". Isn't mine either. *smile***

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 28_

_Finding Sinister_

He looked deep into the Professor's eyes, fear creeping up his spine.

*_Quoi_? What extreme measures?*

*I'm less worried by my measures than by the one Sinister seems to be ready to use. We better find him quickly, before he does any damages we couldn't reverse.*

Remy took a deep breath, trying to calm his wild heart. What was the Professor talking about?

Images were twirling around them, fragments of memories flashing before their eyes. Remy set his jaw, conscious of all the things he was now showing to his friends. Sure, they knew most of the mistakes he had made in his life, at least the ones they had to know. But he had always been recalcitrant to show his mind, his life, his past to others. His past was his. His friends were his present. Rogue was his future. And he had to get out of this, because he was her future as well.

***************

They could find nothing. For what seemed like hours, they had searched in the dark, in what was beginning to look like a city by night, looking in the streets, popping a head in the small backstreets. No trace of Sinister. No voice, no treaths. Could he be gone? 

*It would be too easy, Remy. He wont give up the fight so easily. We have to find him* the Professor thought. He was getting tired, Remy could see it, as were Betsy and Jean. He accelerated a bit and turned around a corner. And froze.

In front of him, floating in the air, was a giant sphere, with a diameter of about ten feet wide. It was glowing a brilliant red, flashing so much it hurt his eyes to look at it. Around the glowing sphere was a steel layer, covering the entire giant ball with a transparent light. Under it, was Sinister. He was standing with his arms to his sides, hands balled into fists, eyes glowing a dangerous red. Remy's eyes glowed as well as he saw him, and he heard the Professor, Jean and Betsy coming behind him. They stayed a few feet away, though, as they saw both men, father and son (as impossible as it could seem), facing each other angrily with burning eyes.

*You have deceived me, Remington. I could have done such incredible things with you…*

*I've worked for'y once, Sinister. More dan enough for me.*

*Don't you interrupt me! You think I don't have any hold on your mind anymore, Remington? I will not let you talk to me this way, son!* The words haden't been spoken yet that Remy was pulled to the ground, the invisible irons circling his wrists and ankles again.

*_Non_…*

***************

He moved. I could have sworn he moved. Could he be coming back already? I cast a look at Xavier, Jean and Betsy, but none of them was moving a hair. Worse, they were frowning. Logan growled and stood up from his chair, and I saw Remy standing in front on me, eyes bright with fury. Remy's body, that is. I knew in a flash he wasn't himself. He had an evil smile and pushed my shoulders hard. I lost my balance and my chair fell over, but I was on my feet quickly, my feet slowly leaving the ground as thoughts ran through my mind. The professor and the two girls were still in his mind, were they okay? Obviously they had found Sinister and he wasn't happy about it. But I had to control the crazy Remy in front of me if I wanted things to return to normal.

I leaped to him. He didn't have his powers, but still was agile and graceful as a cat. He dunked and kicked me in the back, sending me trashing in the wall. Logan jumped on him, claws drawned, and I yelled before he could kill him without a second thought. "Logan, no!" It surprised him and he froze, looking at me, and Remy took advantage of that hesitation to jump on the fierce little man, pinning him to the ground a split second, before Logan hardly pushed him away. Remy crouched, his wild eyes going from me to Logan, and I sighed. "Boy, Sinister must really be pissed off and desperate to send a crazy powerless Remy to attack us…" I flew forward and pinned his shoulders to the ground. A powerful man, even without his powers, he couldn't beat my invulnerability, and he squirmed helplessly under me as I took off one on my gloves with my teeth, and layed my bare hand on his cheek. It took no more than a split second, and his eyes rolled up, and his body went limp in inconsciousness, as a portion of his life force flowed into my body.

***************

The five of them raised suddently their eyes as the fiery ball faded, the red light slowly turning off. Sinister frowned, and Remy smiled. *Way to go, Rogue. I'll thank ye when I wake up.* The irons were still pinning him to his knees on the ground, and he was feeling quite uncomfortable in this position in front of Sinister.

*This sphere represents your power. All humans have it, even the no-mutants, but it is smaller than this, since their powers are unnoticable, like what they call a sixth sense, or the power to guess what people will say, or to see the future in dreams… Yours was the biggest of all, Remington. I had made it so, so you could become the strongest of all. The most powerful, undestructible. You would have become that with my help.*

Remy shivered at the past tense Sinister used in his monologue. What was he going to do? He turned his head to meet the Professor's eyes, but the three of them were stuck behind what looked like a glass wall. He crossed Betsy's worried eyes, and made an attempt to smile, but it only resulted in his lips quivering in worry and fear. He turned his head back to see the sphere was lighting up again behind the steel layer as the powers slowly came back. Sinister drew up a hand and reached to touch it. It hurt, though, like a knife slowly entering his heart, and Remy doubled up on the floor, moaning.

*The transparent grey layer is the power of the Genoshen collar on your powers, stopping it from connecting with your body. A mutant without the Genoshen collar wouldn't have such a layer on his power core.* Sinister drew back his hand from the sphere and Remy gave a sigh of relief, before Sinister walked the few steps separating him from Remy. He crouched in front of him and, putting a hand under his chin, looked into his eyes. He slowly shook his head, looking dissapointed. *My son, I had incredible projects for the both of us. But since you insist on ruining everything, I'll make sure everything is ruined for _you_, as well.* He got on his feet again and walked to the sphere. He plunged his hand in it again, making Remy shut his eyes and scream in pain, as the red glow slowly left the sphere to enter Sinister's body through his arm. The power core soon faded to a dull black, immobile and dead, and Sinister took back his arm, and looked at Remy prostrate form on the ground, twisted in pain as the hollow in his stomach invaded his whole body. *You wanted me gone, Remington. Well I'm going now, leaving to suffer the consequences of your terrible decision.*

***************

The Professor was the first one to open his eyes, and I looked at him, question marks in my eyes. He looked at me, an extrordinary expression of sadness in his eyes. Jean and Betsy were the next to wake up, and soon Remy's eyes were fluttering as he slowly came out of his transe. Everyone was silent as he sat up, blinking as he came back into reality. Suddently he drew up both of his hands to his neck, grabbing the collar with shaky fingers. "Take it off, Hank! Take it OFF!" he yelled. Henri's blue brows went up to his hairline, but seeing the Professor's nod, he walked next to the bed and slid the golden key in the lock, unlocking the collar. Remy put his hands on his bare neck, gasping and slowly rocking his body back and forth, and I put a light gloved hand on his shoulder.

"Remy? It's over, baby, everything gonna be alright." He looked up at me, tears in his red and black eyes, and violently shook his head in negation. He got up and ran out the door, but before I could follow him, Jean reached out a hand and took my arm. I turned to her to meet desperate eyes. "What's going on, Jean?"

"Sinister left, Rogue… But he took away Remy's powers with him. All of them."

To be continued!


	29. Sparks

**Note**** : Not mine, Marvel's. Tired, got a sunburn and a headache, but had to finish…And I promise something big to celebrate my 30th chapter! Oh and thanks for correcting my mistakes. And don't feel bad! I really appreciate!**

**Enjoy.**

_Chapter 29_

_Sparks___

I found him on the roof of the mansion, looking down on the park, his arms around his knees and his chin resting between them. I slowly walked to him and kneeled behind him, putting my hands on his shoulders. He had a strangled sigh and leaned back, eyes closed, and I circled my arms around his shoulders and chest, locking my hands over his heart. "Ah love you. And Ah glad yah're back."

"I'm glad to be back too, but…" he lifted his hands in front of his face, turning them before his eyes in bewildement. "It's gone, Rogue. He left with m'powers, leavin'me nothing."

"Ah love tha man, not tha powers.Yah don't need your powers to be the man yah are…"

"_Non_? But I need'em to be an X-Man… _non_?" Was there something to answer to that? He couldn't be an X-Man without his powers, and it was a fact. I stayed silent as he shifted his weight a bit to be more comfortable, waiting for him to say more. "I keep tellin' m'self I lived without these powers for fifteen years, and dat now I'm 28, I'm still alive and well without'em… But Rogue, I feel empty inside. Somethin's missin'." I sighed. I could only understand, the powers were part of us. The pill I took turned them off, but I could still feel them in my chest, burning in my heart. It was part of our blood, and I shivered, thinking of the feeling of loosing that part of myself, even if I had often wished it.

"Ah don't know what to say, sugah. Ah wish Ah could give them back ta yah, but Ah can't. All Ah can do is tell yah Ah love yah, but it sounds useless to mah ears." He turned his head to look at me and gave me a loopside grin.

"Oh, it ain't useless, Roguey. I'll manage without the powers, maybe we can find a way to get them back… or not. But either ways, I'm glad your by m'side." I gave him back the smile, and streched my neck to kiss him.

"Ah'll always be."

***************

Putting his hands under the running water, he splashed his face with it and rubbed it hard, trying to wake up. It seemed to him he hadn't had a good night sleep for ages, and kept dreaming about his powers coming back, to wake up gasping in his bed. Putting his hands each side of the sink, he stared at his image in the mirror, and gave a little smile at himself. "We we aren't at our best when we wake up, aren't we?" he said softly, before reaching for his razor. His hand stopped in mid-air, though, and his face went blank. A tingling sensation was running up his arm, raising heat in his veins and burning the tip of his fingers. He balled the hand into a fist and the tingling dissapeared, but he stood in the bathroom for many minutes, staring in the mirror at his face blank with shock.

***************

Jubilee and I were on the patio, taking the most of the last summer sunrays on a beautiful Saturday afternoon. We chatted a bit and laughed at Remy and Logan, washing their motorcycles, and getting themselves very wet. Soon the heat made my head turn and I closed my eyes, lulled to sleep. There was a suddent change of tone in Remy and Logan's exclamations, and I opened sleepy eyes to see what was going on. What I saw quickly drew me to my feet, and my jaw dropped, as did Jubilee's.

Logan was standing near his bike, mouth agape. Remy was quickly backing off form his own motorcycle, wich was slowly beginning to have a red glow spreading on it. Then it vibrated, as shook by an internal quake, and exploded in pieces.

***************

Logan had the reflex to put his arms on his head to protect it as Harley bits and pieces flew all around both men. Then he lifted his head and moaned when he saw the vestiges of the motorcycle. Remy walked towards it, his arms limp on his sides, face gone completely blank. He could see Rogue and Jubilee were on their feet, running towards the alley way, and curious faces appeared in the mansion windows, trying to see what had caused the explosion.

Then he heard a moan, and he turned back to Remy, who was now on his knees near what was left of the motorcycle. Rogue stopped and kneeled next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"What happened, sugah?" Logan heard her say in his ear. Remy just shook his head in shock, and got on his feet again. Then he looked at each one of them, and ran inside the mansion, leaving Logan, Jubilee and Rogue standing next to the flaming motorcycle pieces.

***************

Xavier watched the tall figure pacing back and forth in the big study, cursing in French and gesticulating, long and slender hands moving in the air like butterflies as the angry man let out his fury. Hank was standing next to the desk, his head following Remy's movements. The Beast sighed, and said was he shouldn't have.

"It was only a motorcycle, Gambit." The Gambit in question suddently stopped and turned squarely to meet Henry's eyes with his angry ones. 

"Just a bike, Hank? First of all, it's not only a bike, it was _my_ bike! _Ma moto! Compris?* Second, it's not only de bike!" Remy turned to look at the Professor. "M'powers are comin' back. I can feel it. But I can't control it, dammit! I could blow off anythin'!" The Professor simply nodded._

"It seems it is coming back. As to control it, I'm afraid we'll have to wait." Henry coughed lightly and stepped forward.

"I have made a analysis of your DNA, Remy. You know being a mutant is written in someone's genes, and you still have these mutant genes in your cells. It has been damaged by Sinister's action, and your powers were taken away, but I think it is only temporarily. Your cells will heal eventualy, it could take some time, and you will experience bursts of powers like this one occasionaly. And I am afraid you won't be able to control it until your powers are fully operational. It is all a matter of time."

"And dat could take some time." Remy's features had darkened, and he sighed deeply. "Yay. Do y'know if they will be like they were before Sinister changed them, or if I'll be as… powerful as when he entered m'mind?"

"It is a good question, I can't say from the DNA analysis. I guess we will see in time. Until then, the only thing you can do is not entering in contact with anything if you feel that burning feeling again." Remy snorted.

"I could'have figured _dat alone. Well… Thank you, Hank, Professor." Xavier nodded to the young man leaving his office, and turned to Hank._

"Do you think it will take a lot of time to heal?" Hank shook his head.

"It could be days, or it could be months. Let us just hope it will not take too long, or the whole mansion will blow up."

**To be continued!**

* My bike! Understand?


	30. A new beginning

**Note**** : There it is, chapter 30. It's big for me, I mean, it was supposed to be a 10 chapters story, but it got so long… I'm not going to say the characters aren't mine. I'm going to say they are mine, and we'll just see what's going to happen. Hell, maybe I'm even making money on this! *chuckle*. Now you guys have been great all along, always reviewing and helping me with my English grammar…So I feel like giving you a treat, and finish this with a double-lengh chapter. I also want to name all of you, and thank you personnaly for reviewing the story (in order of last appearance…)**

**_Tammy_****_ : I'm glad you loved the thing, you said it often, and I appreciate a lot… Hope you'll like the following story, give me a few days to work it out…_**

**_ishandahalf_****_ : You made me smile the whole way, with your !, your … and your general exclamations… I did have the urge to end this in disaster, but since I promised a happy ending (kinda quick, though), there it is. There will be a sequel, though, and it maybe won't be as pretty! But please don't guillotine me, have pity…_**

**_spacemonkey_****_ : Glad to hear that! Thanks!_**

**_LinkinPark4ever_****_ : I don't think insurances would pay to replace a motorcycle you obviously blew off yourself. Mine wouldn't. Hell, they don't even want to replace a cracked windshield without me paying half of the price…_**

**_crazytook_****_ : another loyal reviewer. I love the way you actually list what you liked in the chapter… Helps me see what I do best (and what I do wrong?)…_**

**_Ladystrider77_****_ : Oh, please don't feel bad! I really appreciate it, it can only help me make my stories better… Thanks for the encouraging!_**

**_T_****_. : Brief, but heart-warming. Thank you for your constant presence!_**

**_Lucky439_****_ : Yeah, mean cliffhangers… Gotta love those._**

**_Becki_****_ : Don't be mad! I'll write more, promise…_**

**_Tammy_****_ : Bad, bad Sinister… I know, but he my favorite bad guy. Don't know why, though…The eyes, I guess *grin*_**

**_lil_****_ : I'm thinking, I'm thinking! And it's all getting out of my head at once!! AAAAAH!_**

**_Yasei Raiden_****_ : yup yup yup, another loyal reviewer… Loved your commentaries, always encouraging._**

**_sora kinomoto_****_ : Glad you liked it. Hope you'll like the other ones as well!_**

**_Me AKA Clay rocks_****_ : Clay? Wow… Thanks for the review, and nice (former) name!_**

**_Warmer Than Fire_****_ : If you guys keep telling me my English is good, maybe one day I'll believe it! (you haven't heard my magnificent French accent when I talk. And by the way, Remy's accent is nothing like French! I don't know where they took it, but it's not French!)_**

**_Tom_****_ : there is the rest! Now read… lol, I'm kidding. But if you read, review! Lol_**

**_Roguechere_****_ : oh please don't be mad. Promise I won't hurt Remy, I already did in PointBlank and I still feel bad about it. (was that a shameless plug to my other fics? Mmm, shame on me!!!!!!!)_**

**_Twisted Rain_****_ : yeah, the dreams… Well, I already explained in some chapter why I thought they had stopped, but anyways, I think what happened to Remy compensated for that lack of explanation… did it?_**

**_Kaitland_****_ : Ruin Remy and Rogue's hapiness? Who, me? Naaaaaaaah! Not in Through Time, at least._**

**_Homegirl2_****_ : Always fun to see another reader. Thanks._**

**_Haeniliel_****_ : Hey hey, salut! Merci pour le review! _**

**_Tia_****_ : hope you've read up to this one! Thanks!_**

**_Jean1_****_ : Well I liked the time travel too, but it didn't fit in the rest of the story plot… Maybe in the next fic, we'll see!_**

**_luvdabecki_****_ : Hooked? Yay!_**

**_Hikari_****_, Cerebro, Dagger, Elcy Name and ann : Thanks! I know your reviews are quite old, but I feel myself free to think you were still reading the story…_**

**I hope, oh I hope I haven't forgotten anyone… If so, I'm so sorry!**

**Okay now it's very late (or very early) and I haven't over-read this, so there must be tons of mistakes… Put the blame on tiredness…And I'm going to bed now.**

**Enjoy!**

_Chapter 30 (finaly)_

_A new beginning_ (I know, I know, it's a cliché, but it's over 1 in the morning, couldn't think of anything better…)

Many weeks passed without any improvement of Remy's powers, with the exception of the blowing of the remote control and a spicy gumbo that had made quite a mess in the kitchen. The bursts of powers had stopped for about two weeks, though, and no further incidents had been reported in the mansion. Remy's mood had improved with time, and things were going quite normal, considering the events of the past months. Maybe we could lead a normal life? Would the bad guys and bad luck leave us alone, leave us some time to actually _live_ our marriage?

That was what I wanted. I got even more.

I stared a the small desk calendar in my shaking hands, unbelieving. I counted again, tears in my eyes. And counted a third time. 

Forty-two days.

I looked at the small greenish box on my night table. What had went wrong? Then I frowned.

Why was I taking these anyway? I had a small smile. Because we hadn't had the time to talk about it yet. "Well, we're going to have to talk about it now, sugah" I said to the calendar. A small maowing answered me from the floor, where Thing the cat was sitting next to my feet, big yellow eyes intent on me. I bent down to pet its head, and it purred instantly, pushing its head hard against the palm of my hand.

Forty-two days. Could I only be late in my periods? No, I had never been. Especially with birth control pills…

I smiled again, unable to control myself, but the smile quickly faded.

What would he say? Would he be happy? Shocked? Scared? I bit my lip. Unhappy? Angry?

He loved kids, I knew he did. But he had never expressed the wish to have his own…

I jumped when I heard the door open, and Remy came in. He stopped in the doorframe, looking surprised to see me there, as I turned on my heels and dropped the calendar on the floor. I quickly bent to pick it up and put it back on the desk, and lifted my head to meet a questionning stare.

"It's not dat I don' appreciate havin' a beautiful woman in m'room, but aren't ye supposed to go shopping with Ro? She's waitin' f'you downstairs."

"Yes, well, Ah was just getting ready tah go… Remy?" He had already turned towards the open closet and was fumbling in the various boxes, down on his knees.

"Ye know where I might'ha put my old t-shirt? I was keepin' it for paintin', and Logan and I are gonna help Scott repainting his bedroom."

"Ah threw away the old thing, it was full'o holes… Remy?" He turned and glared at me.

"You threw away my old t-shirt? I had it since I wa'twenty!" He turned back to rummage some more. 

"Yes, Ah could tell so…Remy?" I heard him mutter under his breath, something like "I must have some other stuff in dere…", and I lost patience. "Remy!" I snapped, louder than I wanted. He glared at me again, eyes red half hidden by the auburn locks hanging from his forehead.

"_Quoi_! What! What's wrong?" He got up, half raising his hands in a protective reflex. "What did I do?" 

"Remy, Ah have something to tell yah, and yah won't listen!" His brows went up, and the hands raised a bit more.

"Hey, woah Roguey, I couldn't guess. What's goin'on?" He was sincere, and I relaxed.

"Sorry. Well… Ah… Ah wanted… to ask…" I stammered. How the hell was I to ask such a thing? He cocked his head to the side, waiting, but my sentence was cut short by the entering of Ororo, popping her white head in the opened door.

"There you are, Rogue! I've been waiting for you for the last ten minutes! Aren't you coming with me?"

"Yeah, of course… Remy, Ah'll talk to yah later, okay, sweetie?" He shrugged slightly as I came on tiptoe to brush a kiss on his cheek. He quickly put an arm around my waist, and his eyes plunged into mine.

"Is somethin' wrong?" He was serious. Remy wasn't the kind of man to be played with.

"Nothing's wrong, Ah just need to talk to yah about something, but it can wait tonight. Nothing's wrong, I swear!" I repeated, and the frown dissapeared from his face. He kiss me on the lips, and let me go. 

"Have fun, then."

***************

Ororo and I were sitting at a small table, sipping on coffee, chatting about everything and nothing. I raised to my feet. "Ah'm getting something to eat." She just nodded and I walked to the glass counter, my mouth watering in front of the numerous cakes in front of me.

Ororo's brows flew up and her eyes went round when she saw the piece of cake I brought back. The Triple Chocolate Sensation Cake almost filled the whole plate, and what space was left had been filled with chocolate ice cream. She didn't say a word as I devoured my prey, and just watching going through the whole cake. When I ran my finger in the plate to get the chocolate crumbs, she errupted into laughs.

"Goodness, Rogue, you look like you haven't eaten in months! You eat almost as much as Jean since she learned she was pregnant!"

I choked on my mouthful and coughed and gasped under Ororo's stunned face. She pushed a glass of water towards me and I took several gulps of it, flush fading from my face. I opened watering eyes to meet a piercing blue gaze.

"Is it something I said?" I gasped a little more and blushed, eyes down on my plate.

"Maybe" I whipered, a lump in my throath. Ororo kept silence and looked at my face, hawk eyes reading my features. Then she opened her mouth without letting a sound. It took her a few moments to finaly get some words out of it.

"Oh my… Oh my, Rogue! Are you _pregnant?" I shivered and my fists balled as I switched into defensive mode._

"Yah say it like it's a _problem." She closed her mouth and put her hand on mine, her eyes suddently sad._

"No! Of course not! No, darling, a baby is a beautiful thing… You just took me by surprise, Rogue."

"Yah're only the first on today's list. Ah have a few other heart attacks to provoque." I lifted my eyes to meet hers. "Ah'm not sure yet, it's only that my periods are late, and they never were… Don't tell anybody before Ah'm totally sure." Ororo frowned.

"Remy doesn't know?" I shook my head in negation. "Why?"

"Because… Ah don't know. Ah don't know how he would react. Ah don't even know if he wants children." The lump in my throath tighten and my eyes watered. Ororo saw it and smiled, putting a hand on mine. 

"Oh, darling, I wouldn't be worried by that. Though it may be a good idea waiting to be sure to tell him, otherwise you could find yourself married to the most dissapointed man on Earth."

"What do yah mean?" A grin spread on her face.

"Remy is the best friend I had for a long time, and we talk, Rogue. And he says to me things he wont say to you, because he's not sure of your reaction." I frowned.

"He never said he wanted children."

"That's the thing he won't say to you, darling. Because he doesn't know about what _you_ want." I relaxed.

"Sometimes I wonder how we would manage without everyone telling us what we think in each other's back. Ah like to think we have great communication sometimes, but there's always something to proove me wrong." She squeezed my hand.

"You and Remy have a great relationship, Rogue, and I've never seen you both as happy as I see you now. But you're right on that point: you both _could_ talk more of what you want and don't want. But that comes with time, Rogue. And you haven't been married a year. Give it time."

"I guess yah're right." I pushed the chair back and got on my feet in the same time as her. "But first of all, Ah have something to pick up at the drugstore."

***************

I gently closed the bathroom door, hands shaking. In a few hours, I would know. And Remy would know too. I walked up to the bed to pick up the clothes I had bought, and was putting them in the closet when a small knock was heard on the already opened door. Jean popped her head in.

"Dinner's ready, Rogue."

"Comin'." I rolled the plastic bags in a ball and threw them in a corner to dispose of them properly a bit later, and walked out of the room. In the hallway, though, I heard someone keeping pace with me, and soon a strong arm crept on my waist and drove me near. I turned in his arms and lifted my head to meet the burning embers of his eyes. He smiled.

"Thought y'could get awa' from me, _chérie?" His mouth was inches from mine, and I shivered with pleasure._

"Even if Ah wanted, Ah couldn't be away from yah very long, sugah." The mouth approached again, and a wave of heat crushed on my inside, raising gooseflesh on my arms. He saw it, and grinned before bringing his lips on mine.

The world stopped turning everytime we kissed, but the emotions of the day had worn me out, and the secret I was keeping from him for the moment made me feel guilty. Tears welled up in my eyes and I clung to his shirt, as his breath mixed with mine. I felt my back meeting the wall, and my hands went down to circle his waist. His hands cupped the back of my head, and he drew back, gasping for breath, as my head slowly stopped spinning. He put his hands flat on the wall each side of my head and looked into my eyes, irises glowing like fire and chest heaving. "Rogue, _chérie…" His voice was husky, and the sound of it sent a second bolt of desire through my stomach. I cut short before he could say some more._

"Ah'm hungry, dinner's ready." He grinned and a spark lit his eyes.

"_J'ai faim aussi*, chérie_." I blushed at the double-meaning, and put my hands flat on his broad chest, gently pushing him away.

"Ah'm hungry… for food." He pouted in mocked dissapointment, and I chuckled. "Ah'm keeping yah for desert." A devilish grin made its way on his face, and with a hug, we headed downstairs towards food.

***************

The dinner was torture. Ororo kept kicking me in the chin and winking all along, and I could feel Remy patience slowly crumble as he notice something going on between her and me. He wasn't the only one to notice, too, and curious glares followed me out of the dinning room. I went up the stairs and into the bathroom, heart beating wildly. It stopped when I looked at the small plastic stick I held in my hand, and I held my breath, not knowing if I was happy or not. Then the excitement slowly made my heart beat accelerate again, and I threw the door open, to fall in face to face with my husband, standing in the bedroom, arms crossed on his chest.

"Rogue, you mind tellin' me what's been goin'on with'ye today?" He raised a brow, waiting, and I couldn't help smiling.

"Sure, sugah, but maybe yah rather sit down." He genuinely looked surprised at that, but stayed standing.

"I rather stand, thank you… what's goin'on, f'God sake?" He uncrossed his arms, annoyed, and I smiled even more, a little bit nervous.

"Well… Remy, sugah… Ah'm pregnant." He did sit down at that, and quite hard, and the mattress gave a squeak under his weight. His mouth was slightly open, his eyes huge, and his face gone blank, all color fading from his cheek. He looked alarmingly pale, and I made a few steps in his direction, unsure if he was going to faint or…

"Pregnant?" A weight made its way in my tummy, settling on my stomach and staying there, and growing bigger by the minute. He didn't look happy, or mad, or upset. He didn't look anything, just shocked. "Ye're sure?"

"Well Ah bought a pregnancy test and it was positive, but Ah have…" He interrupted me my grabbing my arms and kissing me soundly on the lips. My eyes popped open with shock, and I drew back. "Sugah?"

"Rogue! _Oh mon Dieu_, Rogue! _C'est magnifique! Merveilleux! __Tout ce que j'ai toujours voulu_…**"

"English, please, Remy…"

He just gathered me in his arms and squeezed me tight, lifting me from the ground, laughing like a kid. I could swear I heard my ribs crack, but I put my arms around his neck, tears running down my cheeks. I enjoyed his deep laugh, and I noticed I haven't heard it in a while. It shook the walls around us and made my heart jump, drunk with happiness.

**Okay, guys, that's it… *snif* The end! I did it! I finished Through Time!**

**I promise a sequel to it, though, so don't think I'm done with Rogue, Remy's bursting powers and the mysterious foetus growing in Rogue's tummy. *****Sings boy scout's songs* _Ce n'est qu'un au revoir, mes frères, ce n'est qu'un au revooooooooooir… oui nous nous reverrons, mes frères, ce n'est qu'un au revoir…_**

* I'm hungry too

** Oh my God, Rogue! It's georgous! (sounds right in French, not in English, I'm afraid. _Magnifique_ and _merveilleux_ are kinda synonyms in French, at least in that case) Wonderful! All I ever wanted…"


End file.
